Louisville, Kentucky - March 4, 2010 – One of Louisville's most influential physicians – Harold E. Kleinert, MD – will be honored on Sunday, March 7, at an open house in The Old Medical School Building, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. The dedication of the Harold Kleinert Lounge reflects the continued efforts of the Greater Louisville Medical Society Foundation to preserve the 117-year-old building.

The garden level of the building was the location of Dr. Kleinert's first laboratory in Louisville. The retired hand surgeon's wife, Sharon, his family and associates contributed to the remodeling of "the old coal bin" in his honor. The lounge features a kitchenette and comfy chairs to serve as a relaxing spot for physicians attending meetings at the building and GLMS staff.

Dr. Kleinert began the University of Louisville Hand Clinic in 1953 and later founded Kleinert, Kutz and Associates Hand Care Center PLLC, which performed the nation's first five hand transplants.

"The open house will be a great opportunity to see how the GLMS Foundation has restored and refurbished The Old Medical School Building and how physicians can participate in future improvements," said Thomas Reichard, MD, president of the GLMS Foundation Board of Trustees.

The Old Medical School Building, at First and Chestnut streets, was constructed by the Louisville Medical College, opening in 1893. It became home to the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1910 when several of the city's medical schools merged. After U of L constructed new facilities for the medical school, the building was abandoned in the 1970s. Since its reopening in 1981, The Old Medical School Building has been a hub of activity serving the medical community through the work of GLMS and its foundation – a credit to the vision of physicians who preserved the building and its legacy.