Brandeis home being sold at auction

The boyhood home of the late Supreme Court of the United States Justice Louis Brandeis, credited as the place where he began developing the social philosophy that underscored his legal career, is going on the auction block.

SVN Auction Services will be auctioning the house at 310 E. Broadway in Louisville, Ky., April 24 at 12:30 p.m. Two hours prior to the auction, the house will be opened for inspection.

The brick home with a limestone façade was built in 1864 and Brandeis, who was born in 1856 in Louisville, is believed to have moved in with his family a short time after. According to a historical marker in the front of the property, Brandeis spent his formative years living in the house and developed the democratic social philosophy that would later be reflected in his own reform activities.

Also, this was the home where a 9-year-old Brandeis taught a slave to read and write.

Later, after Brandeis had left Louisville and his family had moved, the home was sold to a German social group that built a gymnasium onto the back of the house. For several decades through the 1900s, youngsters in Louisville went to the gym for sports activities.

In the early 1980s, a group of doctors bought the building and it has remained medical offices ever since.    

The entire building, which includes the three-story Bandeis home, the gym and a four-story addition, spans more than 32,000 square feet. It is valued at just over $3.1 million and was most recently listed at $2.85 million.

Bill Menish of SVN Auction said interest has increased significantly since the property was posted for auction. Already, one offer has been made and another offer appears likely.

Brandeis graduated from Harvard Law School and became an associate justice of the Supreme Court in 1916. He never returned to Louisville but he remained connected to his family and the city. At his request, Brandeis’ personal papers, books and pamphlets, as well as his legal files dating from his time in private practice in the late 1800s and to the early 1900s, have all been donated to the University of Louisville.