Restored Ali boyhood home dedication Sunday
The restoration of the Muhammad Ali childhood home at 3302 Grand Ave., "is exactly like it was, right down to the silverware and the art on the wall, when the Clay family lived there in the 1950s."
That's how Philadelphia lawyer George Bochetto, a longtime admirer of the three-time, Louisville-born heavyweight boxing champion and humanitarian, described the newly completed restoration of the house where then-named Cassius Clay grew up.
Bochetto, a 50-50 partner in the restoration venture with Las Vegas investor Jared Weiss, quoted Ali's younger brother, Rahman Ali, nee Rudy Clay, as saying when he viewed the restored house: "The only things missing are my mother and father."
The brother was a primary advisor on the restoration and donated some of the inventory stocked in the residence.
The redevelopment of the long rundown but newly painted bright-pink house has been a labor of love. The investors have spent what Bochetto said is way north of $300,000.
A dedication of the house is set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, with Rahman Ali and some other Ali relatives expected to attend, along with Mayor Greg Fischer. Muhammad and Lonnie Ali probably won't be able to attend the ceremony, Bochetto said, adding that the event is intended primarily for invited dignitaries.
The event is, however, open to the public but there won't be any public tours available on Sunday.
Fischer said in a release from his office that "Louisville is proud of our native son, Muhammad Ali, and delighted to see his boyhood home become a place that will help spread the message of his legacy. This home reminds us of Muhammad’s humble roots and challenges us all to work a little harder to overcome the hurdles between us and opportunity, as he has done.”
Public tour hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, starting May 4.
The tours cost $8 for adults age 17 to 64, $5 for youngsters 6 to 16 years old and $5 for seniors 65 and older. Children 5 and under are free.
Proceeds are intended primarily to cover expenses and perhaps to pay a very small staff.
Bochetto said the partners are working on an arrangement with the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage to provide some volunteer staffing.
Maintenance will be contracted, and the partners have invested heavily in security monitoring equipment.
Visitor parking will initially be on the street, but the partners are hoping soon to acquire another lot in the block to use for parking and also for perhaps a small gift shop and for ticketing.
"Our primary goal is to give people touring the house a real good education about (Ali's) childhood, the neighborhood and the time and the culture in Louisville when he was growing up," said Bochetto, a one-time state of Pennsylvania boxing commissioner.
The tour will include three videos, including a 15-minute documentary at the end of the tour that will be shown on a 60-inch screen in a rear room of the house. That video, titled "Cassius Ali," was produced by Bochetto's son, Evan, who works in the film industry in Los Angeles. It tells of Ali's childhood and the effort to restore the site.
The other two videos are relatively short. One features Ali's younger brother Rahman explaining how the brothers played in the house and shadow boxed. The other has the late Gordon Davidson, a lawyer, discussing how Ali got his backing and his start in boxing.
The furniture and finishings were found piece by piece. Much of it reflects Rahman Ali's memory of what was where, as well as items seen in period photographs. Bochetto said two oil paintings done by Cassius Clay Sr. that hung in the house have been replicated from photos. Some of the artifacts have been curated.
A website, www.alichildhoodmuseum.com, is under development.
Bochetto said he sees the project as a gift to a neighborhood that gave rise "to one of the greatest human beings our country has seen in a long, long time."
Weiss bought the abandoned and badly deteriorated house sight unseen for $70,000 in 2012. It largely had sat untouched until Bochetto joined Weiss in a 50-50 partnership to pursue the site's renovation. Both men are huge admirers of Ali.
The bronze marker in front of the house funded by the Metro Council has an inscription that reads, "Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. was born on Jan. 17, 1942, at Louisville General Hospital. He grew up and lived in this house. ... Here is where young Clay's values were instilled."
Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at (502) 582-7089, or via email at sshafer@courier-journal.com.