Phoenix Hill Tavern
The Phoenix Hill Tavern was a live music venue in the Phoenix Hill neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. Founded in 1976 by Ben Rogers, the venue initially opened in the second floor of a rundown warehouse. Also known as PHT and The Hill, Phoenix Hill Tavern would expand throughout the entire 25,000 square foot facility, eventually hosting three stages of varying sizes along with karaoke, dance nights and a wide arrangement of music be it local or touring. The venue also would host private parties and occasional festivals.
On 1 June 2015, Phoenix Hill (along with it's sister venue Jim Porter's) would abruptly close their doors after 39 years. In 2017 the building would be demolished and be rebuilt into a series of gentrified apartments.
Notably the space was also across the street from Eastern Cemetery, which was established in 1844 and was outed in 1989 for mass paupers' graves were used for burial throughout the mid 19th century. As of January 2017, the site has about 16,000 graves, and documentation for about 138,000 bodies. Bodies were buried atop other bodies, graves were carelessly excavated for reuse, and medical cadaver body parts from the University of Louisville were buried in-mass rather than intact (as is legally required for donated bodies). Human bones were found in inappropriate areas, including in a tool box, a glove compartment, a fast food bag, and shallow graves. Some of the behavior had been practiced since the 1920s, and records indicate reuse began in 1858. It would be the subject of a 2017 documentary known as Facing East.
Selected Performers at PHT
Louisville
- Aladdin's Castle
- Bush League
- The Glasspack
- My Morning Jacket
- My Own Victim
- (ohlm)
- Stonecutters
- Sweatermeat
- Flaw
- Hot Action Cop
Regional / Touring
- D.R.I.
- Foo Fighters
- The Flaming Lips
- The Jesus Lizard
- Queens of the Stone Age
- Adrian Belew
- Mike Watt
- Hank Williams III
- Peter Criss
- John Kay & Steppenwolf
- Helmet
- Torche
- Ramones
- J Mascis
- Tori Amos
- Miley Cyrus
- B.B. King
- John Lee Hooker
- Muddy Waters
- Jimmy Cliff
- Burning Spear