List of University of Kentucky buildings


The University of Kentucky 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 and , parts of the now-vacant Kirwan-Blanding Residence Hall complex, began in May 2020. 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.

New developments

Recently constructed is a 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. New residence halls have also been planned 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 and along Scott Street.
Through the first part of the 21st century, substantial housing was needed 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, 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.

Future

One of the more recent developments on campus is 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 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. Plans to build the new residence hall were placed on hold due to uncertainties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Timeline

The "Campus" listings refer to those used by the university on its current campus maps. 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-derelict Kirwan–Blanding residence complex, historically considered part of the south campus but now considered part of the central campus.
ImageBuildingCampusFloorsYear CompletedStatus
Maxwell PlaceAcademic Core2.51872Completed
Hamilton HouseNorth1880Demolished in fall 2014.
Main BuildingAcademic Core5February 15, 1882Completed
White HallAcademic Core1882Demolished in 1967.
Neville HallAcademic Core1890Destroyed by fire in 1961.
Mechanical HallAcademic Core1892Home 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 BuildingAcademic Core1892Completed
Miller HallAcademic Core3 + B1898Completed
Bolivar Arts CenterWest1899, 1917, 2015Purchased by UK in 2013; became home of the School of Arts and Visual Studies during summer 2015.
Alumni Hall Academic Core3 + B + Bell Tower1901, 1937Completed
Patterson HallNorth3 + B1904, 2016Completed. Exterior mostly intact, but interior heavily renovated as part of the Limestone Park project.
Scovell HallAcademic Core1905Completed
Education Building Academic Core1907Completed
Matthews BuildingAcademic Core1907Completed
Mining Laboratory Academic Core1907Completed
Carnegie LibraryAcademic Core1909Demolished in 1967
Pence HallAcademic Core3 + B1909Completed
Kastle HallAcademic Core3 + B1909, 1926Completed
Norwood HallAcademic Core1910Destroyed by fire 1948
Bradley HallAcademic Core1921Completed
Alumni Gym Fitness CenterAcademic Core1924, 2018Completed; originally known as Alumni Gymnasium. Converted to a student fitness center as part of the 2018 Student Center expansion and renamed at that time.
McLean StadiumAcademic Core1924Demolished in 1974.
Boyd HallNorth41925Demolished in 2014 for Limestone Park.
McVey HallAcademic Core3 + B1928Completed
Memorial HallAcademic Core21929Completed
Taylor Education BuildingWestca. 1930Completed
Kinkead HallAcademic Core1930Completed
Breckinridge HallAcademic Core1930Completed
Thomas Poe Cooper BuildingUK HealthCare1930Completed
Margaret I. King LibraryAcademic Core31931Completed
Lafferty HallAcademic Core1936Completed
Student Union Academic Core1938, 1963, 2018Almost 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.
Jewell HallNorth41939Demolished in 2014 for Limestone Park. Site now occupied by part of the current Holmes Hall.
Erikson HallAcademic Core3 + B1939Completed
Funkhouser BuildingAcademic Core7 + B + B11942Completed
Cooperstown ApartmentsCentral1946Buildings razed in 2012–13 for Woodland Glen.
Frank D. Peterson Service BuildingWest1949Completed
Bowman HallAcademic Core1949Completed
Fine Arts BuildingAcademic Core1950Completed
Memorial ColiseumNorth31950Completed
Mineral Industries BuildingAcademic Core1951Completed
Grehan Journalism BuildingAcademic Core2+B1951Completed
Keeneland HallNorth4 + B1955Demolished in 2014 for Limestone Park. Site now occupied by the current Boyd Hall.
Donovan HallAcademic Core51955Demolished in 2014 for the new Jacobs Science Building.
K-Lair Grill and Food Storage BuildingAcademic Core11955K-Lair portion demolished in 2013. Food Storage Building demolished in 2014 for the new Jacobs Science Building.
Holmes HallNorth4 + B1958Demolished in 2014 for Limestone Park. Site now occupied by most of the current Holmes Hall.
Kelley HallUK HealthCare1959Completed
Blazer DiningNorth41960Completed. Partially converted to a classroom building as part of the Limestone Park development; 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 HallCentral41960Demolished in 2013; replaced on-site by New Haggin Hall.
Slone Research BuildingAcademic Core1960Completed
Chemistry–Physics BuildingAcademic Core41962, 2019Completed
Albert B. Chandler HospitalUK HealthCare1962, 2011Completed
Commonwealth VillageSouth1963Completed. 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.
Gatton Business and Economics BuildingAcademic Core41963, 1992, 2016Completed. Original building expanded in 1992 and again in 2016. Also served as temporary home to the UK College of Law in 2017–19 while its current building was being renovated.
Helen G. King Alumni HouseAcademic Core21963Completed
Margaret I. King Library Academic Core31963Completed
Dickey HallAcademic Core1964Completed
Law BuildingAcademic Core2 + B
3 + B
1965, 2019Completed. Briefly closed for a major renovation and reopened for the 2019–20 school year.
Anderson TowerAcademic Core: Engineering Quadrangle7 + B1966Completed
Blanding TowerCentral231967Completed. Decommissioned as housing in fall 2016; demolished in 2020 after original date of 2018 slipped.
Blanding I, II, III, IVCentral31967Completed. Decommissioned as housing in fall 2017, demolished in 2020.
Kirwan–Blanding CommonsCentral21967Completed. Dining hall and student lounge; decommissioned in fall 2015, demolished in 2020.
Kirwan TowerCentral231967Completed. Decommissioned as housing in fall 2016; demolished in 2020.
Kirwan I, II, III, IVCentral31967Completed. Decommissioned as housing in fall 2017; demolished in 2020.
Patterson Office TowerAcademic Core181969Completed
Cliff Hagan StadiumWildcat Sports & RecreationN/A1969, 2002Completed. Scheduled to be demolished after completion of the new baseball park.
White Hall Classroom BuildingAcademic Core3 + B1969Completed
Sanders–Brown Center on AgingUK HealthCare41972Completed
Kroger FieldWildcat Sports & RecreationN/A 1973, 2015Completed. Originally known as Commonwealth Stadium; name changed in 2017 with sponsorship from Kroger.
Lucille C. Little Fine Arts LibraryAcademic Core2 + B1974Completed. Originally the north addition of the Margaret I. King Library.
University of Kentucky Children's HospitalUK HealthCareCompleted
Kentucky ClinicUK HealthCare5Completed
Singletary Center for the ArtsAcademic Core1979Completed
Greg Page ApartmentsSouth25 buildings, 2 floors each1979Completed. 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 AdditionAcademic Core1982Demolished in 2015 as part of the Student Center renovation and expansion project.
Markey Cancer CenterUK HealthCare1985Completed
Boone Faculty CenterAcademic Core11986Completed
Gluck Equine Research CenterAgriculture1987Completed
E.J. Nutter Training FacilityWildcat Sports & Recreation1987Completed
Lancaster Aquatic CenterWildcat Sports & Recreation1989Completed
Charles E. Barnhart BuildingAgriculture1990Completed
ASTeCC BuildingAcademic Core1994Completed
William T. Young LibraryCentral6 + B1998Completed
CRMS BuildingAcademic Core5 + BCompleted
Oliver H. Raymond Civil Engineering BuildingAcademic Core3 + B1998Completed
James F. Hardymon BuildingNorthSeptember 2000Completed
Ralph G. Anderson BuildingAcademic Core3 + B2002Completed
Bernard M. Johnson Student Recreation CenterWildcat Sports & RecreationJanuary 2003Completed. Expansion and renovation of the former Seaton Center.
Charles T. Wethington Jr. BuildingUK HealthCare6February 2003Completed
Gill Heart InstituteUK HealthCare5April 2004Completed
Biomedical Biological Science Research BuildingUK HealthCare5April 2005Completed
Dale E. Baldwin Residence HallCentral3August 2005Completed
Margaret Ingels Residence HallCentral3August 2005Completed
David P. Roselle Residence HallNorth4 + Maintenance LevelAugust 2005Completed. Occupies a property that once housed outdoor basketball courts.
John T. Smith Residence HallCentral3August 2005Completed
Joe Craft Center North2January 2007Completed
Student Health FacilityUK HealthCare4July 2008Completed
Biological Pharmaceutical Complex BuildingUK HealthCare5 + B2010Completed
Davis Marksbury BuildingNorth2011Completed
Wildcat Coal LodgeNorth2012Completed
Herman Lee Donovan Hall & Lyman T. Johnson HallCentral4Fall 2013Completed. Known as Central Hall 1 & 2 during the planning and construction stages.
Frances Jewell HallNorth2014Completed. Originally named Champions Court I.
Georgia M. Blazer HallNorth2014Completed. Originally named Champions Court II.
Chellgren Hall, Bell Hall, Woodland Glen III, IV, & VCentral2014–2015Completed. Chellgren Hall and Bell Hall opened in fall 2014; the remainder opened in fall 2015.
New Haggin HallCentral5Fall 2014Completed
The 90Central2015Completed
Don & Cathy Jacobs Science BuildingAcademic Core2016Completed. Occupies the sites of the original Donovan Hall and Food Storage Building.
Sarah Bennett Holmes HallNorth2016Completed. 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 HallNorth2016Completed. Known during planning and construction stages as Limestone Park II; occupies the site of the former Keeneland Hall.
Medical Research BuildingUK HealthCare6Planning
Lewis HallCentral52017Completed. Serves both as a residence hall and an office facility for UK's Lewis Honors College.
University FlatsCentral72017Completed
Kentucky Proud ParkWildcat Sports & RecreationN/A2018Completed in fall 2018, with the UK baseball team beginning play in the new park in 2019.