Meet the man who’s made a career of sharing a Louisville landmark’s history

Since opening in 1905, Louisville’s Seelbach Hilton has been a gathering spot for everyone from the cultured elite to gangsters, including Al Capone, who frequented the property during its Prohibition speakeasy heyday (allegedly coming and going through underground tunnels). If stepping inside the ornate lobby feels a bit like walking into a novel, there’s good reason: The site helped inspire F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 work The Great Gatsby , a bragging right Louisville will celebrate with a series of centennial events this spring. As Johnson tells it, Fitzgerald met famed bootlegger George Remus at the Seelbach bar during breaks from his military posting at nearby Camp Taylor. He ultimately modeled the novel’s titular character, Jay Gatsby, after Remus. Fortunately, the Seelbach’s tim