Dedicated to boxer Muhammad Ali, a native of Louisville, the Muhammad Ali Center rises six stories in the West Main District, founded by Ali and his wife Lonnie in 2005. Ali, a native of Louisville, and his wife Lonnie Ali founded the museum in 2005; it opened here on November 19, 2005, at a cost of $80 million. Inside and out the place is purposeful: a 40,000-square-foot, two-level amphitheater and plaza extend the building’s presence and the cultural center features exhibitions about Ali’s six core principles — confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, respect, and spirituality — the ideals he used to inspire people around the world.
The site gained an elegant new link: on April 4, 2013 a 170-foot-long pedestrian bridge opened, nine feet wide, with exterior metal panels designed to complement the Ali Center plaza and to help you walk to the Belvedere, the Waterfront, and other downtown attractions. In 2020 the Muhammad Ali Center and the SEEK Museum in Russellville were added to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. Notice the plaza opening out toward the bridge, the Belvedere, and the Waterfront.