Muhammad Ali’s childhood home in Louisville, Kentucky, is now a museum and was recently put up for sale.
A Historic Home
Located in the Parkland neighborhood, just three miles southwest of downtown Louisville, Ali’s home, along with two neighboring properties, was restored into a museum by Philadelphia attorney and former Pennsylvania state boxing commissioner George Bochetto and Las Vegas real estate investor Jared Weiss. The restoration of the three properties cost $1.5 million, according to Realtor.
When the Ali home was abandoned in 2012, Weiss acquired the neglected property with intentions to restore it for $70,000. Bochetto, also a devoted admirer of “The Greatest,” obtained a half interest in the restoration project. The endeavor evolved into a film production, and later, a decision was made to acquire nearby homes. One of these was transformed into a welcome center band gift shop, while the other was designated for short-term rental purposes.
“You walk into this house … you’re going back to 1955, and you’re going to be in the middle of the Clay family home,” Bochetto told The Associated Press during a 2016 interview, The AP re-reported.
With hoping of finding a buyer willing to maintain the home as a museum, the two owners want the museum to serve as a preserved piece of American history.
It turns out that the 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom, one-bathroom museum conversion was more costly than initially presumed, as the childhood home, now a museum, encountered financial difficulties and shuttered within two years of its opening. Despite its grand entrance onto the scene and subsequent attempts at revival, the museum grappled with maintaining operations.
The expenses incurred for restoration, documentary production, museum upkeep, and property maintenance compounded the financial challenges.
Moreover, proposals to relocate the house to alternative sites like Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and even Saudi Arabia, were declined as the owners wanted the museum to be a Louisville stable.
“I wouldn’t do that because it’s an important piece of Louisville history, Kentucky history and I think it needs to stay right where it is,” Bochetto said.
At this very house, a 12-year-old Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, suffered his bicycle being stolen, inadvertently leading him to a local gym. There he encountered Joe Martin, a police officer who also served as a boxing coach, igniting Ali’s lifelong passion for the sport.
The replicated and refurbished home holds another layer of significance. It served as a poignant backdrop during Ali’s funeral procession in 2016.
Hundreds of people gathered along the street in front of the childhood home to bid farewell to “The Greatest” as the hearse solemnly passed by, ABC News reported.
In this way, the house became a symbol of emotional reverence as well as stomping grounds of a hometown legend.
