Members preview: 8800 Blue Lick Road
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David.
I wanted to talk a little about 8800 Blue Lick Road, Louisville, Kentucky.
The house juts out of the landscape, loud and orange.
My friend Melissa from the Webcrawlers podcast mentioned it to me. Her friend who works in Real Estate had mentioned it to her. I imagine I’m not the only one fascinated by it, as the listing spreads from person to person.
If you click on “3D Walkthrough”, you’ll be magically transported into the house, and can walk around like it’s 1993 and you’re playing Myst.
If you get disorientated, there’s a map (this could not be more like a videogame) — which shows just how expansive this house is.
There are many unusual aspects to 8800 Blue Lick Road that you’ll encounter on your journey — including the double-toilet toilets. Urinal or standard? You decide.
Some of the decor is explained by the fact it was apparently once a “church” — and as you explore the myriad of hallways and dead-ends, you eventually descend into the basement to find its new God: commerce.
It is OCD overdrive.
The bedrooms are their own personal form of hell. God is not found here. Single beds, complete with toilet paper, moisturiser and medication nearby. It’s remarkable how personal this 3D tour gets. I’ve lost hours in this house.
All of 8800 Blue Lick Road offers an unsettling tone. The whole package.
The colours, the stains, the disorienting hallways that seem to shift and move. You get lost a lot, here at 8800.
It reminds me of Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, in which a man slowly loses his mind after discovering the inside measurements of the house don’t match the outside.
Reality isn’t at home at Blue Lick Road. The ornaments grin on.
I wonder about the homeowners; the people that dwell in this place.
As you descend further into the basement, some clues. It appears the current occupants are heavily involved in online distribution. CDs, DVDs — old school stuff.
Browsing the DVD titles, you eventually end up in the porn room — where something truly remarkable sparkles and beckons from the next room.
A giant bathtub — the golden jewel of this freaky house.
If you scroll back up to the map at the start of this story, you will see it shining out at you — beckoning with its dreamy blue tones.
Seeing it up close, it feels more like a trap.
Real estate agent Lanay Hinkle is doing their best to ignore the chaos of the house:
“Church, School, Daycare, Home business this home has been it all. This unique home is just what you are looking for. Two kitchens, a private living space and many more surprises.”
The surprises include some schools nearby that have seen better days. They get a rating of 3/10, 1/10 and 1/10 respectively.
And this is where my attitude of “look at this funny house you can tour in 3D” changed to one of sadness.
Sadness for this American town. Sad for Blue Lick.
Mud Creek runs nearby. “Devil Dog Smokin BBQ” is down the road, amid a smattering of churches. Gethsemane Baptist Church at one end, Eastview Church of Christ at the other.
The whole of Blue Lick seems really rough — and the news stories around the place hint at various problems burbling beneath.
October 24, 2020:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The Louisville Metro Police Department is investigating a deadly shooting near Blue Lick Elementary School.
LMPD was called to the shooting scene in the 4100 block of Sirate Lane just after 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning.
A man suffering from a gunshot wound was taken to Uofl Hospital.
The victim died from his injuries at the hospital.
His name has not been released.
No arrests have been made in this case.
It got me thinking about all the chaos at 8800 Blue Lick Road. The boxes, the products, the porn.
That’s when I came across this news story from six year ago, which perhaps gives an indication of who lives there. Troy and Trevor.
December 9, 2014 at 1:39 AM EST
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Two of four men accused of buying stolen items and selling them online have entered pleas.
Troy Curtis and his son Trevor Curtis pleaded not guilty on Dec. 8 to engaging in organized crime syndication and receiving stolen property.
David Curtis and Branden Curtis are also facing charges in the case.
The four men were charged after St. Matthews police searched a home in the 8800 block of Blue Lick Road in September.
Police said the items were stolen from Target stores in Louisville.
Back on Google Maps I see it — a giant Target superstore just down the road. The perfect crime.
I mean sure, there might be different people associated with “the8800 block of Blue Lick Road”. But after going on that 3D tour — their world doesn’t seem far removed.
I wonder if Troy and Trevor are father-and-son, or brothers. Maybe they’re cousins. I wonder what they’re doing today, six years on from their court appearance.
Have they cleaned up their business, or forged on? Could this intimate listing be their next undoing?
And what’s next for 8800 Blue Lick Road? So many questions. Like everything in America right now, so many questions.
