Mr. Lee's

Postcards: 4"x6" - color OR original line drawing
Prints: 8.5"x11" - black and white line drawing

From 2016-2019, there was a dimly lit cocktail lounge on Goss Avenue with no signage other than a plaque next to their door, blacked out windows, and a single light over the small round porthole on the front door. Behind that heavy door was Mr. Lee’s, an homage to a different era of Louisville, when alcohol was outlawed and nightlife was forced to exist on an “if you know” basis. This modern take on a speakeasy tapped into the history of prohibition in Louisville, paying homage to some of the original speakeasies like the Rathskeller at the Seelbach, and the Wolf Creek Tavern’s basement speakeasy.

Prior to Mr. Lee’s, the building sitting at 935 Goss Avenue was occupied by the local watering hole, Groucho’s, operating from the 2000s to the mid 2010s. This stretch of Goss hosted several small groceries, taverns, and other locally owned businesses for most of the 20th century. While the days of Mr. Lee’s are left to photos and stories, it opened the door for North of Bourbon, a speakeasy inspired upscale Southern restaurant and bourbon bar.