Porter & Sons Funeral Home expands on the family legacy

Porter & Sons Funeral Home expands on the family legacy

New branch opens on Bardstown Road

More than 100 years after its founding in western Louisville, A.D. Porter & Sons Funeral Home has opened a second location, branching out to southeastern Jefferson County.

The expansion to 4501 Bardstown Road is about more than geography, said Dani Porter, vice president of the family-owned company. A.D. Porter & Sons is also stretching beyond its core African-American clientele.

While the new branch will offer more convenient service to the black community in Newburg and other parts of southeastern Jefferson County, it also will help A.D. Porter & Sons reach out to the area's growing Hispanic population.

"Looking at other funeral service providers in the city, no one has really focused on the Hispanic market," Porter said. "And they have special needs and special services that they do, like everybody does."

"Louisville is overdue for a multicultural funeral home where everyone feels welcome and can be accommodated," said Woodford R. Porter Jr., the company's president and chief executive, in a statement.

Established in 1907, A.D. Porter & Sons is one of Kentucky's oldest, continuously operated family-owned African-American businesses.

Its founder, Arthur D. Porter Sr., was the first black person to run for mayor of Louisville, losing heavily in 1921 as a member of the Lincoln Independent Party.

Dani Porter, his great-granddaughter, is a member of the fourth generation of Porters in the business.

The Rev. Walter Malone Jr., pastor of Canaan Christian Church at 2840 Hikes Lane, said it's "wonderful" that the Porter funeral home has established a branch in the area.

"We really celebrate this development" because it brings the rich tradition of A.D. Porter & Sons to a location that's more convenient for many members of his predominantly black congregation, he said.

And the expansion means that the latest generation of Porters will be able not just to maintain the legacy of A.D. Porter & Sons, but "take it to another level," Malone added.

A.D. Porter established the business that bears his name in a small house on 15th Street.

The funeral home expanded over the years to a sprawling city block at Chestnut and 13th streets, where it stands today.

The business draws customers from all over the city, Dani Porter said.

But people increasingly want services closer to where they live, and "we have as many customers on (the southeast) side of town as we do on this (side)," she said.

Porter said the new branch, A.D. Porter & Sons Funeral Home Southeast, is a little smaller than the older home, but "it's all on one level, which is nice for our senior folks."

Its main chapel can seat more than 200 people, and overflow rooms can accommodate another 200 or so.

Louisville Metro Government provided a $150,000 low-interest loan toward the funeral home's construction, said Chris Poynter, spokesman for Mayor Jerry Abramson.

The Metropolitan Business Development Corp. approved the loan last April.

"This is a long-time Louisville company … and now they're expanding into an entirely new part of town, (which) will create new jobs," Poynter said. "So it was a no-brainer from our end to help them out."