List of University of Kentucky buildings

The Patterson Office Tower.

The University of Kentucky (UK) in Lexington, Kentucky is home to many notable structures, including one high-rise.

By floor count and height above ground level, the tallest building is the 18-floor Patterson Office Tower, consisting mostly of faculty and administrative offices. Demolition of the previous tallest buildings, the 23-story Kirwan Tower and Blanding Tower, parts of the former Kirwan-Blanding Residence Hall complex, began in May 2020.[1][2] Even before the demolition of Blanding and Kirwan Towers, the Patterson Office Tower reached the highest altitude of any campus building because it sits on one of the highest points of the university. All three high-rises were built in the mid-1960s.

Recent developments

Recently constructed is a new parking structure for the Albert B. Chandler Hospital at South Limestone between Conn Terrace Transcript Avenue. The 1,600 space garage will be connected to the lobby of the new patient care facility via a skyway.

In the summer of 2010, Keeneland Hall, the first co-ed dormitory in the state, was named a state historic site by the Kentucky State Historical Society. This designation did not prevent it from being torn down in 2014 to make way for the new Limestone Park dormitory development.

In 2014, plans to replace most of the older north campus residence halls—specifically Boyd, Holmes, Keeneland, and Jewell Halls—with a new residential complex were approved.[3] New residence halls have also been planned[4] for the College of Agriculture campus along University Drive and Nicholasville Road between Cooper Drive and Alumni Drive, the Medical Center campus along Transcript Avenue, near the Johnson Student Recreation Center at Cooper Drive, at Stoll Field next to the current Student Center, within the College Town district north of Euclid Avenue, along Washington Avenue (to be converted into a pedestrian-only facility) and along Scott Street.

Through the first part of the 21st century, substantial housing was needed[4] due to increased freshman enrollment and the deteriorated conditions of surrounding neighborhoods. By 2010, the university planned to achieve 33% undergraduate housing, requiring the construction of an additional 2,500 units. By 2020, due to fast undergraduate growth, the university wanted to raise the undergraduate housing percentage to at least 40%, requiring the construction of at least 2,800 additional units. The ratio of graduate students to graduate units in Cooperstown and Greg Page Apartments would also need to be increased from 11% to 15%. The existing facilities would also need to be replaced. By 2010, 350 new units would need to be constructed, followed by an additional 250 units by 2020.

These projections proved inaccurate—even though the 2013–2019 period saw the completion of over 6,800 residence hall beds (including replacements for demolished and decommissioned halls), the 2019–20 school year saw more than 90% of a school-record freshman class of more than 5,300, plus more than 2,000 upperclassmen, live on campus.[5]

Future

One of the more recent developments on campus was the long-delayed demolition of the Kirwan–Blanding residence hall complex. While approved in 2017, demolition was delayed due to a lack of funding for work required before demolition could start, mainly asbestos removal and the rerouting of utilities located under the complex that served much of the southern half of campus. With funding found for the rerouting, that project began in summer 2019, and demolition began on the complex in May 2020 after rerouting was completed. When UK announced final demolition plans in December 2019, it indicated that most of the 14-acre (5.7 ha) site would be converted to green space, with a new 500-bed residence hall built on part of the property. Longer-term plans also allow for potential construction of two more residence halls on the site.[5][6] Plans to build the new residence hall were placed on hold due to uncertainties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

The planned residence hall would eventually be approved by the UK board of trustees in December 2023, with construction starting shortly thereafter. The new facility will have over 640 beds.[7]


Timeline

The "Campus" listings refer to those used by the university on its current campus maps (as of 2018–19).[8] These designations have changed over time. Several of the current area designations, including the "Academic Core", were not historically used. Additionally, some buildings have had their area designations changed, such as the now-demolished Kirwan–Blanding residence complex, historically considered part of the south campus but now considered part of the central campus.

Image Building Campus Floors Year Completed[9] Status
Maxwell Place Academic Core 2.5 1872 [10] Completed
Hamilton House North 1880[11] Demolished in fall 2014.[11]
Main Building Academic Core 5 February 15, 1882 [12] Completed
White Hall Academic Core 1882 Demolished in 1967.
Neville Hall Academic Core 1890 Destroyed by fire in 1961.
Mechanical Hall Academic Core 1892 Home to the Engineering Department. Renamed Dicker Hall by the 1930s, and renamed again to Anderson Hall in 1948. Demolished in 1964; replaced by Anderson Tower.
Gillis Building Academic Core 1892 Completed
Miller Hall Academic Core 3 + B 1898 Completed
Bolivar Arts Center West 1899, 1917, 2015 Purchased by UK in 2013; became home of the School of Arts and Visual Studies during summer 2015.[13]
Alumni Hall (Barker Hall & Buell Armory) Academic Core 3 + B + Bell Tower 1901, 1937 Completed
Patterson Hall North 3 + B 1904, 2016 Completed. Exterior mostly intact, but interior heavily renovated as part of the Limestone Park project.
Scovell Hall Academic Core 1905 Completed
Education Building (Frazee Hall) Academic Core 1907 Completed
Matthews Building Academic Core 1907 Completed
Mining Laboratory (Engineering Annex) Academic Core 1907 Completed
Carnegie Library[14] Academic Core 1909 Demolished in 1967
Pence Hall Academic Core 3 + B 1909 Completed
Kastle Hall Academic Core 3 + B 1909, 1926 Completed
Norwood Hall Academic Core 1910 Destroyed by fire 1948
Bradley Hall Academic Core 1921 Completed
Alumni Gym Fitness Center Academic Core 1924,[15] 2018 Completed; originally known as Alumni Gymnasium. Converted to a student fitness center as part of the 2018 Student Center expansion and renamed at that time.[16]
McLean Stadium Academic Core 1924[15] Demolished in 1974.
Boyd Hall North 4 1925[17] Demolished in 2014 for Limestone Park.[3][11]
McVey Hall Academic Core 3 + B 1928 Completed
Memorial Hall Academic Core 2 1929[15] Completed
Taylor Education Building West ca. 1930 Completed
Kinkead Hall Academic Core 1930 Completed
Breckinridge Hall Academic Core 1930 Completed
Thomas Poe Cooper Building UK HealthCare 1930 Completed
Margaret I. King Library Academic Core 3 1931 Completed
Lafferty Hall Academic Core 1936 Completed
Student Union (Student Center) Academic Core 1938, 1963, 2018 Almost completely rebuilt in a project completed in 2018. As part of the project, the 1963 addition was demolished in 2015; the 1938 portion remains intact with interior renovations and is incorporated into the current facility.[18]
Jewell Hall North 4 1939 Demolished in 2014 for Limestone Park.[3][11] Site now occupied by part of the current Holmes Hall.
Erikson Hall Academic Core 3 + B 1939 Completed
Funkhouser Building Academic Core 7 + B + B1 1942 Completed
Cooperstown Apartments Central 1946 Buildings razed in 2012–13 for Woodland Glen.
Frank D. Peterson Service Building West 1949 Completed
Bowman Hall Academic Core 1949 Completed
Fine Arts Building Academic Core 1950 Completed
Memorial Coliseum North 3 1950 Completed
Mineral Industries Building Academic Core 1951 Completed
Grehan Journalism Building Academic Core 2+B 1951 Completed
Keeneland Hall North 4 + B 1955 Demolished in 2014 for Limestone Park.[3][11] Site now occupied by the current Boyd Hall.
Donovan Hall Academic Core 5 1955 Demolished in 2014 for the new Jacobs Science Building.[11]
K-Lair Grill and Food Storage Building Academic Core 1 1955 [19] K-Lair portion demolished in 2013. Food Storage Building demolished in 2014 for the new Jacobs Science Building.[11]
Holmes Hall North 4 + B 1958 Demolished in 2014 for Limestone Park.[3][11] Site now occupied by most of the current Holmes Hall.
Kelley Hall UK HealthCare 1959 Completed
Blazer Dining North 4 1960 Completed. Partially converted to a classroom building as part of the Limestone Park development;[3] the pre-existing dining facility was expanded and renovated. Originally named "Blazer Hall," but renamed in 2016 due to name confusion with new Blazer Hall.
Haggin Hall Central 4 1960 Demolished in 2013; replaced on-site by New Haggin Hall.[20]
Slone Research Building Academic Core 1960 Completed
Chemistry–Physics Building Academic Core 4 1962, 2019 Completed
Albert B. Chandler Hospital UK HealthCare 1962, 2011 Completed
Commonwealth Village South 1963 Completed. Graduate housing complex; decommissioned in fall 2017 and declared as surplus property by the university in December of that year. Sale of the complex planned, with the proceeds to create a fund for new graduate family housing at the Greg Page Apartments site.[21]
Gatton Business and Economics Building Academic Core 4 1963, 1992, 2016[22] Completed. Original building expanded in 1992 and again in 2016. Also served as temporary home to the UK College of Law (along with UK-owned buildings formerly owned by Lexington Theological Seminary) in 2017–19 while its current building (see below) was being renovated.
Helen G. King Alumni House Academic Core 2 1963[23] Completed
Margaret I. King Library (South) Academic Core 3 1963 Completed
Dickey Hall Academic Core 1964 Completed
Law Building Academic Core 2 + B (1965)
3 + B (2019) 		1965, 2019 Completed. Briefly closed for a major renovation and reopened for the 2019–20 school year.[24]
Anderson Tower Academic Core: Engineering Quadrangle 7 + B 1966 Completed
Blanding Tower Central 23 1967 Completed. Decommissioned as housing in fall 2016;[25][1] demolished in 2020[2] after original date of 2018 slipped.[26]
Blanding I, II, III, IV Central 3 1967 Completed. Decommissioned as housing in fall 2017,[1] demolished in 2020, with work continuing into 2021.[2] The outer shell of Blanding III remained standing into 2021.
Kirwan–Blanding Commons Central 2 1967 Completed. Dining hall and student lounge; decommissioned in fall 2015,[25] demolished in 2020.[2]
Kirwan Tower Central 23 1967 Completed. Decommissioned as housing in fall 2016;[1] demolished in 2020.[2]
Kirwan I, II, III, IV Central 3 1967 Completed. Decommissioned as housing in fall 2017;[1] demolished in 2020.[2]
Patterson Office Tower Academic Core 18 1969[15] Completed
Cliff Hagan Stadium Wildcat Sports & Recreation N/A 1969, 2002 Completed. Scheduled to be demolished after completion of the new baseball park.
White Hall Classroom Building Academic Core 3 + B 1969 Completed
Sanders–Brown Center on Aging UK HealthCare 4 1972 Completed
Kroger Field Wildcat Sports & Recreation N/A (two decks) 1973, 2015 Completed. Originally known as Commonwealth Stadium; name changed in 2017 with sponsorship from Kroger.
Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library Academic Core 2 + B 1974 Completed. Originally the north addition of the Margaret I. King Library.
University of Kentucky Children's Hospital UK HealthCare Completed
Kentucky Clinic UK HealthCare 5 Completed
Singletary Center for the Arts Academic Core 1979[15] Completed
Greg Page Apartments South 25 buildings, 2 floors each 1979[4] Completed. Greg Page Apartments was named after Greg Page, one of the first two African-American football players at UK. Before playing a varsity game, Page became paralyzed after a blow to the back during a 1967 practice and died from the complications 38 days later.
Student Center Addition Academic Core 1982 Demolished in 2015 as part of the Student Center renovation and expansion project.[18]
Markey Cancer Center UK HealthCare 1985[15] Completed
Boone Faculty Center Academic Core 1 1986 Completed
Gluck Equine Research Center Agriculture 1987 Completed
E.J. Nutter Training Facility Wildcat Sports & Recreation 1987 Completed
Lancaster Aquatic Center Wildcat Sports & Recreation 1989 Completed
Charles E. Barnhart Building Agriculture 1990 Completed
ASTeCC Building Academic Core 1994 Completed
William T. Young Library Central 6 + B 1998 Completed
CRMS Building Academic Core 5 + B Completed
Oliver H. Raymond Civil Engineering Building Academic Core 3 + B 1998 Completed
James F. Hardymon Building North September 2000 Completed
Ralph G. Anderson Building Academic Core 3 + B 2002 Completed
Bernard M. Johnson Student Recreation Center Wildcat Sports & Recreation January 2003 Completed. Expansion and renovation of the former Seaton Center.
Charles T. Wethington Jr. Building UK HealthCare 6 February 2003 Completed
Gill Heart Institute UK HealthCare 5 April 2004 Completed
Biomedical Biological Science Research Building UK HealthCare 5 April 2005 Completed
Dale E. Baldwin Residence Hall Central 3 August 2005 Completed
Margaret Ingels Residence Hall Central 3 August 2005 Completed
David P. Roselle Residence Hall North 4 + Maintenance Level August 2005 Completed. Occupies a property that once housed outdoor basketball courts.
John T. Smith Residence Hall Central 3 August 2005 Completed
Joe Craft Center (basketball practice facility) North 2 January 2007 Completed
Student Health Facility UK HealthCare 4 July 2008 Completed
Biological Pharmaceutical Complex Building UK HealthCare 5 + B 2010 Completed
Davis Marksbury Building North 2011 Completed
Wildcat Coal Lodge North 2012 Completed
Herman Lee Donovan Hall & Lyman T. Johnson Hall Central 4 Fall 2013 Completed.[27] Known as Central Hall 1 & 2 during the planning and construction stages.
Frances Jewell Hall North 2014 Completed.[28] Originally named Champions Court I.
Georgia M. Blazer Hall North 2014 Completed.[28] Originally named Champions Court II.
Chellgren Hall, Bell Hall, Pigman Hall, Woodland Glen IV, & V Central 2014–2015 Completed. Chellgren Hall (originally Woodland Glen I) and Bell Hall (originally Woodland Glen II) opened in fall 2014; the remainder opened in fall 2015.[11]
New Haggin Hall Central 5[29] Fall 2014[29] Completed
The 90 Central 2015 Completed[30]
Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building Academic Core 2016 Completed.[31] Occupies the sites of the original Donovan Hall and Food Storage Building.
Sarah Bennett Holmes Hall North 2016 Completed.[32] Known during planning and construction stages as Limestone Park I; occupies the same site as the original Holmes and Jewell Halls.
Cloona Belle Matthews Boyd Hall North 2016 Completed.[32] Known during planning and construction stages as Limestone Park II; occupies the site of the former Keeneland Hall.
Medical Research Building UK HealthCare 6 Planning[33]
Lewis Hall Central 5 2017 Completed. Serves both as a residence hall and an office facility for UK's Lewis Honors College.
University Flats Central 7 2017 Completed[34]
Kentucky Proud Park Wildcat Sports & Recreation N/A 2018 Completed in fall 2018, with the UK baseball team beginning play in the new park in 2019.[35][36]
Martin–Gatton Agricultural Sciences Building South 4 2026 Ground broken in March 2024. Will become the main teaching facility for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.[37]
Michael D. Rankin M.D. Health Education Building UK HealthCare 8 (south wing)
10 (north wing) 		2026 Ground broken in December 2023. Will house programs in the Colleges of Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health.[38][39]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Laytham, Emily (April 24, 2020). "Iconic Kirwan-Blanding towers, complex begin demolition next month". The Kentucky Kernel. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Childress, Rick (May 29, 2020). "UK's Kirwan-Blanding towers go down. Some try to save memories of Lexington landmarks". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "UK Board Approves Next Phase of Housing Development" (Press release). University of Kentucky. January 31, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c "Housing analysis." University of Kentucky. 2 February 2007 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2004-05-10. Retrieved 2007-02-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).
  5. ^ a b "UK Board to Consider Funding for Demolition of Kirwan-Blanding Complex" (Press release). University of Kentucky. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  6. ^ Musgrave, Beth (December 6, 2019). "Iconic UK Kirwan-Blanding dorm complex to be razed next year. What will take its place?". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  7. ^ "UK Board of Trustees approves plan for next phase of student housing" (Press release). University of Kentucky. December 23, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  8. ^ "2018–19 University of Kentucky Visitor Map" (PDF). University of Kentucky. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  9. ^ Unless otherwise noted, the year in which each building was completed was taken from UK Campus Guide. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
  10. ^ "Campus Guide: Maxwell Place". University of Kentucky. July 22, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Blackford, Linda B. (May 26, 2014). "University of Kentucky spending $4 million to demolish eight buildings this summer". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  12. ^ "Building Database Full Record: Administration Building". University of Kentucky. 1998-07-14. Archived from the original on 2008-02-20. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
  13. ^ Bolivar Arts Center Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine UK School of Arts and Visual Studies. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  14. ^ http://ukcc.uky.edu/cgi-bin/dynamo?maps.391+campus+X001
  15. ^ a b c d e f "A Chronology of UK". University of Kentucky Special Collections & Digital Programs Division. 2 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
  16. ^ Peck, Jared (October 31, 2017). "Home of UK's first two national title teams getting massive makeover. Look inside Alumni Gym now". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  17. ^ Boyd Hall Photograph with Caption Retrieved 2013-01-17
  18. ^ a b Blackford, Linda B. (July 7, 2015). "Portions of University of Kentucky student center demolished for expansion". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  19. ^ Hairston, Gail (September 23, 2011). "Celebrate K Lair's 50th Year as a UK Eatery". University of Kentucky News. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
  20. ^ Haggin Hall University of Kentucky. Retrieved 2013-08-08
  21. ^ "UK Board Makes First Move Toward Demolition of Kirwan-Blanding Complex" (Press release). University of Kentucky. December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  22. ^ Brammer, Jack (October 7, 2016). "University of Kentucky celebrates new $65 million business college building". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  23. ^ "Mission & History". University of Kentucky Alumni Association. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-05-15. Retrieved 2008-01-11.
  24. ^ "Renovation and Expansion FAQ". University of Kentucky College of Law. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  25. ^ a b Wright, Will (May 16, 2015). "University of Kentucky plans to leave Kirwan and Blanding towers empty this fall". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  26. ^ Blackford, Linda (December 12, 2017). "They've been a UK landmark for 50 years. Now they're going to be demolished". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  27. ^ New Central Residence Hall[permanent dead link‍] Retrieved 2013-01-17
  28. ^ a b Tune, Chrissie (October 15, 2012). "New Residence Hall to Impact North Campus Parking". University of Kentucky News. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
  29. ^ a b New Haggin Hall Project Details[permanent dead link‍] EDR Collegiate Housing. Retrieved 2013-08-08
  30. ^ 2015-2016 Dining Plans Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine University of Kentucky. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  31. ^ "UK Dedicates Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building". UKNow. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  32. ^ a b Opening of Holmes and Boyd University of Kentucky.
  33. ^ Brammer, Jack (March 9, 2015). "Beshear signs bill authorizing bonds for University of Kentucky medical research building". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved 2015-03-13.
  34. ^ University Flats Description University of Kentucky.
  35. ^ Schaefer, Charles (November 2, 2017). ""Topping out" ceremony held at UK baseball's new stadium". Kentucky Kernel. Retrieved December 16, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  36. ^ "UK Baseball's New Stadium Named Kentucky Proud Park". UKNow. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  37. ^ "University of Kentucky breaks ground on Martin-Gatton Agricultural Sciences Building" (Press release). University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. March 21, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  38. ^ "Groundbreaking ceremony held for UK Health Education Building" (Press release). University of Kentucky. October 27, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  39. ^ "New academic building to be named the 'Michael D. Rankin M.D. Health Education Building'" (Press release). University of Kentucky. December 5, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2024.