505 West Ormsby Avenue (Hattie Bishop Speed)
Residence of Hattie Bishop Speed from 1906-1942
Harriet “Hattie” Bishop Speed became a well-known and widely respected pianist, music teacher, humanitarian and philanthropist. Born in 1858 in Louisville, her father was the proprietor of the Louisville Hotel, as well as co-proprietor of the Galt Hotel. Somewhat of a music prodigy, she received her early music education at private schools in Louisville and Boston, studying music with Louis Henry Hast, the organist at Christ Church Cathedral, and then in Cincinnati and Boston. Hattie made her debut performance at age 13, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 20 with the Musical Fund Society Orchestra. She later went to Berlin and Rome to further her musical studies. Returning to Louisville in 1892, Hattie began her career as a piano teacher and continued to perform regularly. In 1894 she joined the Woman’s Club of Louisville, and worked on the Music Committee there, providing both performances and connections to other musicians and artists, as well as her lecturing abilities to the Club. She also was a member of the Building Committee in early 1920s, using her organizational and fundraising abilities to assist with the construction of the new Clubhouse. She even donated a beautiful stained-glass window for the clubhouse to honor her close friend and charter WCL member, Harriet Cochran.
In 1906, Hattie married James Breckinridge Speed at age 48, a year after his first wife died. J. B. was a financial leader as well as a prominent businessman. He was president of the Louisville Railway Company, the Louisville Cement Company, and the Ohio Valley Telephone Company, among many others. The Speeds lived at 505 West Ormsby Avenue. Built by Dexter Belknap in 1885 at the peak of the Southern Exposition boom in housing, the mansion has more than 48 rooms and 20 fireplaces. Later Hattie added a "Music Room” at the rear of the home, which was 50 feet long and 30 feet wide, and held a large stage and 4 concert grand pianos. She held countless concerts and charitable events there; her home was known as a center for music.
The couple traveled the world together and collected art and sculptures to fill their home. James passed away after just 6 years, and left a considerable fortune to her. Hattie and his children set up a trust which established the J.B. Speed Engineering School at the University of Louisville, along with several other artistic and charitable endeavors, most notably the Speed Museum, which opened originally as the J.B. Speed Memorial Museum in 1925. Hattie served as its first president and director, and donated many of the couple's collections, as well as time and money to the Museum. She commissioned Arthur Loomis, the same architect who designed the Conrad-Caldwell House, to design the Museum.
Hattie’s philanthropy was widespread. She was a board member and contributed liberally to the Red Cross Hospital at 1436 South Shelby Street, understanding its importance as the only facility in the city where people of color could receive treatment. She also was on the board of the Plymouth Settlement House. She served on the board of the Kentucky Humane Society, and was President there for seven terms. Remembered as a petite, blue-eyed, well-mannered musician, she was an independent thinker with a warm personality and a gift for friendship. She put a huge mark on Louisville with her devotion to the arts. Always a philanthropist, Hattie Bishop Speed left much of her wealth to charities upon her demise in 1942. She is buried at the Cave Hill Cemetery next to her parents.