DeRoode Street as seen from the Versailles Road viaduct in March 1979. This area of the city, known as Davis Bottom, was one of the poorest neighborhoods in Lexington. About five years ago, the dilapidated homes were demolished and the rebuilding of new homes began. And last week, the new section of Oliver Lewis Way, running through the old neighborhood, was opened, connecting Versailles Road and South Broadway. Photo by Ron Garrison | Staff

Towers on the University of Kentucky campus are visible at the end of the Oliver Lewis Way corridor as seen from the Versailles Road viaduct. Oliver Lewis Way, which connects Newtown Pike to South Broadway, is at the far left. At right are the beginnings of an affordable-housing development to replace Davis Bottom and neighboring Irishtown, which before they were cleared in 2011 had been home to some of Lexington’s poorest residents dating to the Civil War. Photo by Tom Eblen | Staff