The Derby City has a flashy side: In the 1970s disco music heyday, Louisville factories were churning out 90 percent of the global supply of disco balls, until demand fizzled and factories shuttered. One factory, though, recently made a comeback as a boutique hotel in the quirky Highlands neighborhood, still sporting original industrial features like concrete floors and exposed steel beams. “As a nod to the space’s history, we named it the Myriad for the myriad reflector, the first patented disco ball from 1917,” explains Craig Pishotti, cofounder of Common Bond, the hospitality group behind the opening. The lobby features hanging disco balls, naturally, along with wood-paneled walls and sculptures by Louisville native J. Cletus Wilcox. At the restaurant Paseo, which backs up to the pool, a wood-fired grill churns out paellas, and cocktails riff on Castle & Key Restoration Rye and port barrel–finished Angel’s Envy. That’s just the start of the merriment—the elevators transform into petite discos with a “party button” that triggers music and spinning lights.
Southern Agenda
Stayin’ Alive
