Von Payne Spirits to Convert Historic Building into Bourbon Trail ‘Castle’ Experience

Steve Allen in front of the former Bond Bread “castle.”

Von Payne Spirits, known for its gothic allure and gargoyle-adorned whiskey, has acquired the historic Whiteside's Bakery Company building at 1400 West Broadway in Louisville's West End. 

This 60,000-square-foot Mission-style landmark designed by prominent architect Arthur Loomis, opened in 1908 as Bond Bread and was once hailed as the most sophisticated bakery in America. Adorned with four gargoyles on its East Tower, the long-abandoned "Castle" will now be reborn as The Von Payne Castle: Distillery and Tasting Experience.

Von Payne plans to restore the historic structure, transforming it into a destination unlike any other on the Bourbon Trail. The facility will showcase Von Payne's signature offerings, including its bourbon and bold black currant infused whiskey, paired with immersive events that highlight the brand's darker, alternative edge in the spirits world.

"We're excited to welcome Von Payne Spirits as they create a new life for a Louisville landmark and bring new jobs and investment to our community," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a news release. "This is another sign of Louisville's amazing economic momentum, and it will be the perfect addition to the world-class experiences that make our city so vibrant."

Beyond a home for whiskey, the Von Payne Castle will bring new energy, jobs, and investment to Louisville's West End, breathing life into a neighborhood that deserves renewed attention.

"We are excited to bring the Von Payne experience to Louisville and join the many other successful spirits companies on the Bourbon Trail," Steven Allen, Founder of Von Payne Spirits, LLC, said. "We're not just bringing another bourbon to Kentucky — we're bringing something different. An experience that, as we like to say, expands the possibilities of the night."

With its gothic identity, historic setting, and commitment to community revitalization, The Von Payne Castle is set to become a new landmark for Louisville.

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I wrote about this building in my book, “This Used to Be Louisville.” Here’s the chapter on the former Whiteside Bakery building.

In the late 1800s, Louisville was home to the largest flour mill in the South on East Broadway, so it makes sense that West Broadway was the home to, at least at the time it was built, what was considered the “most sophisticated” bakery in the US, according to the National Register of Historic Places. That would be the old Whiteside Bakery, which faced Broadway but loomed over downtown.

The building was indeed intricate. It was designed in Spanish Revival/Mission style by architect Arthur Loomis and had a pair of asymmetrical square towers, one of which featured a pair of unique clock faces bearing the name of the factory’s signature product: Mother’s Bread. Gargoyles at every corner no doubt menaced passersby, while there was a peaceful garden on the roof. In the bakery’s heyday, the clocks tolled hourly, alerting downtown, where the tower was highly visible. And according to the building’s description in the National Register, at dusk "the characters describing the circle and declaring the hours stand forth in letters of fire and read 'Mother's Bread'." The Courier-Journal described the structure as resembling a castle.

The factory, which was constructed next to a rail station by design, was built by what was then known as Whiteside Biscuit Company as a monument to its principal owner, I. F. Whiteside. Later renamed Whiteside Bakery Co., the company’s main product was the aforementioned “Mother’s Bread;” accordingly, the factory was designed specifically for producing bread. It opened July 16, 1908 with a reception that drew a crowd so large that police had to escort ticketed guests through the throng in order for them to enter; the Courier-Journal’s account noted that, “Broadway was filled with people for quite a distance.”

The historic building would later be home to General Baking Co. and then Dixie Baking Co. A huge, illuminated sign was added when the factory was owned by General Baking, makers of Bond Bread. The sign is decaying but is still mounted atop the clock tower, today bearing only the letters, “B_  _  d Brea  _.” The building later housed a business called “Auto Warehouse,” with the customer-facing portion of the establishment on the west side and an arched former entryway now topped with red lettering denoting the business’s name. The old bakery factory—which recently has been up for sale—was added to the National Register in 1979.