To Third Street
The Filson Club continued at its Breckinridge Street location for more than fifty years. As time passed, the administration and board began to look for a new location that could accommodate a growing collection and staff, along with additional programming space. As with the Breckinridge location, funds were raised from members and the community - this time to the tune of $3.3 million. The purchase was finalized in 1984, the centennial of the Filson’s existence, and then began the renovation and additions to the Filson’s new home, the Ferguson Mansion in Old Louisville. Building renovations and the addition of 6 levels of temperature controlled/secure stacks were completed throughout 1985, and in summer 1986 the Filson’s collections and staff moved into the new location, which encompassed the mansion for offices and library/archival storage, as well as a carriage house for Museum storage and display. The addition of the stacks and general adaptive re-use of the Ferguson Mansion from funeral home to historical society garnered the architecture firm of Grossman, Chatman, Clare, as well as the Filson, an award and recognition for this project.
The library, archival, and museum collections continued to grow, as did programming and staff, throughout the 1980s and 1990s; the Filson’s name changed from “Club” to “Historical Society” as a focus on scholarly research on Ohio Valley history was introduced, along with daily research fees for non-members. The Filson expanded again in the 2010s with major renovations to the Ferguson Mansion and carriage house and construction of the Owsley Brown II History Center. Throughout all of the changes, the Filson's mission remains the same as in the early days - to collect, preserve, and tell the significant stories of Kentucky and Ohio Valley history.