Ben Ali Apartments

The Ben Ali Apartments was a proposed 12-story senior citizens apartment building at corner of 119 Main Street and Limestone in Lexington, Kentucky. It would have been constructed above the existing four level Ben Ali parking structure.
The developers, Joe Graves, William Moore and former Governor Louie Nunn, were seeking $15 million in tax-free housing bonds to construct 156 apartments. In October 1985, the Urban County Council approved a $15 million housing bond issue for the towers.
The project would have cost $18 million; the developers would contribute $1.8 million. The name of the project is derived from a theater that once stood at the corner of Main and Limestone. It was constructed by James Ben Ali Haggin who constructed the theater in 1913 as a "tribute to his wife." It was demolished in the 1960s in favor of a parking structure.
The high-rise would have also included an attached two-story structure that would have fronted Main Street, containing retail shops, a convenience store, and a restaurant.
Today, the site is home to the Fayette County Courthouse complex.

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