Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, also referred to as Louisville Seminary, is a seminary affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Louisville, Kentucky. It is one of ten PC (USA) seminaries and it identifies as an ecumenical seminary, with recent student enrollment representing many faith traditions.[citation needed]
Though now located in Louisville, it was founded in 1853 in Danville, Kentucky (the site is now Centre College) and was known as the Danville Theological Seminary. Though it thrived in its early years, the Civil War took a great toll and by 1870 there were only six students enrolled, and as few as one professor at times, requiring classes to be taught by the faculty of Centre College.
The seminary is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), and the Association of Theological Schools.[1][2] The seminary is located on land adjacent to the Cherokee-Seneca Parks.The central quad includes Nelson Hall (which houses the Counseling Center), Caldwell Chapel, the library, and a student building. The Gardencourt Mansion and its adjacent carriage house are contained within the Seminary. The Seminary offers multiple degree programs including Doctor of Ministry, Masters of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, Masters of Arts in Religion, and Masters of Divinity.
History
In 1893, a seminary opened in Louisville, operating out of Sunday School rooms in Second Presbyterian Church at Second and Broadway, with 31 students and six professors initially, and an endowment of $104,000. Longtime treasurer W.T. Grant died in 1901 and left his entire $300,000 estate to the seminary, which helped finance the construction of a new Gothic-style Campus.
Daniel S. Bentley had studied at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Danville.[3]
In 1901, the still-struggling Danville seminary merged with the Louisville one. Because of the merger, it was the only institution supported simultaneously by the northern and southern branches of the modern Presbyterian Church (USA). Faculty and students have been drawn from both denominations. The two branches, which split during the Civil War, were reunited in 1983.
In the 1950s, Interstate 65 was planned to be constructed within a few feet of the seminary building. This led to a move in 1963 to a new campus off of Alta Vista Road, in the Cherokee-Seneca neighborhood. The old Gothic-style buildings eventually became the campus of Jefferson Community College, which is now a part of Jefferson Community and Technical College. The seminary eventually acquired the Gardencourt Mansion, and integrated it into the adjacent campus.[4]
