FE A T U R E www. ukalumni.net
f  keyw0rd.· Main Building
Solemn dedicatory ceremonies       T f tucky, toward the Medical Cen-
if for the new campus took place K ff, ll! ‘ j  ` ter and Southern Kentucky and
( February 15, 1882. Students and A     _ ` * toward the main campus and
, faculty, along with assorted digni—   if ’ jj  'Q _   f' ·’’‘‘‘ ` `lll ’ 8 Eastern Kentucky — because
f taries, marched to the new cam-       ji {jg   = I ~ we are one university and our
pus just off Nicholasville Road for · » .-   ; campus is the Commonwealth? (
f the formal ceremony dedicating — _  -     ’ A panoply of light character-
  the new buildings and campus. . “’   pj ‘ S -;*;;*:3: . _rp_   _“ g izes the interior. Sunshine com-
f¤ All of the academic and ad- g   ../»- ~ r rgrgrgrrzmf, mf I O     fg ing in from the skylight above
1 ministrative operations of the col- . •'”  f   O. » O _:_.; fg bathes a third floor meeting `
r rage were encompassed m me      ;~·;>i*é:¤;· a room- Additional intericr light
Main or College Building as it was __/»·*       c;:-g- ;_i_{_{'f; _;i; ;fg;§§4—‘  borrowed from large windows
often called in the early days.   _ _    e g; {if   provides natural lighting to most
There were campus offices, class-     EEZ      Ogg _\:. , ‘“’f  interior spaces in the building.
rooms, and related facilities in-   ‘`'    i yf i Ye, ·.*. *f       ;_.:,  ·  Soft yellow walls contrast with
cluding the college armory and Z   TQ        §{_jf.—‘__~ *’*>‘  deep cherry, bead board wain-
the classrooms used by the Com- — ‘     in     r`,,,,lTi€:'i§r‘,,r=  scot.
r mandant of Cadets; a shop; the A   _ A 1  Q The Main Building houses
( President’s Office (equipped with , , `     § the Visitors Center. two "smart"
fireplaces and a classroom); a   ’·    ‘     classrooms, meeting rooms, a
natural history museum; two labo- V {   {   -       E public room and offices for the
ratories; the Normal, French, Ger- ` "‘   ~    *   —~-’ Q president, provost, executive
man, English. Mathematics, O S   ' · ` - _;  O   vice president for research, ex-
Classical, and Preparatory depart- _ _ _ `   ecutive vice president for fi-
ments; an assembly room contain- I/he M€l'nCBu'ld'ng;OW was an Bnllflncfg to tpfe nance and administration, other
ing an organ; a smaller chapel fslml S Engel ant ifbatcolffl Over OO mgtt B senior administrators and staff,
(which was able to seat the entire p 323 area W em S U an S O Bn Congrega G' the Commission on Women, the
student body, faculty. and staff); Presfdem LBO T_ Todd Jn moves mm his new Commission on Diversity and p
the headquarters of the Union Office fffaf OffOfS Several appgalfng Vfsfas Of fhO the councils for the University
Literary and Philosophian societ- Cgmpug Senate and Staff Senate.
, ies; and the Kentucky Geological Original cast iron columns _
Survey. were relocated to the new public room. (These were
Those interested in the history of the university and used in a decorative manner to support a light frame
historic preservation will find much to like.The brick over the podium).TV stations can connect to
shell of the building was stabilized after the fire that se- pre—wired cable at curbside which will make for easier
verely damaged the structure on May 15, 2001, preserv- remote transmission from the public room during news
ing the authenticity of the original building.The third conferences.
generation of windows, installed in 1971, remains in The facility is connected to the campus central heat- -
place as does the keystone window element adopted ing and air conditioning system and the central utility ·
throughout campus. management system via a utility tunnel to the Patterson f
  "lhe foundation that had been back-filled at some- Office Tower building. A
time in the past 120 years was dug out to its original The architect of record is James W. Potts and Associ— A
grade exposing the lull depth of the limestone base.The ates of Lexington; the design architect is Kliment— f
  grade around the building was lowered to the original Halsband Architects of New York City; and Messer .
f mark in front about two feet and about four feet in the Construction Company of Lexington is the construction _
g rear for a walk-out level to the plaza. manager. Y
r The roof ridge is exactly the same elevation as the The $17.35 million, state—of—the-art facility contains V
f original roof line and the tower was reclaimed at the 43,243 square feet, featuring a new fourth floor, a fifth  ,
topflhe roof is made of lead-coated. standing-seam cop- floor mechanical room, and two balconies.The renova-
per. Initially the tower and cupola formed a weather ob- tion increased the buildings square footage by 1.2,543.
servatory 157-feet tall with a captain`s walk and a clock. This time around, insurance plus an $8 million fund-
The flattened, gablcd roof most alumni of today remem- raising endeavor among alumni, friends and corpora-
ber was constructed in 1919, although a previous re- tions is funding the restoration.
model also had shortened and altered the tower before An historical marker has been placed in front of the  Q
_ its removal. Main Building and a time capsule is sealed in the corner-
At night the tower.Todd says. is symbolic of UK as a stone. Among the items it contains are a CD directory of i
beacon of education and outreach. "Light will shine alumni and a copy of the Kentucky Alumni magazine. ;
from the four tower windows equally in all directions —   S
toward downtown Lexington and Northern Kentucky.  tg?Tito/QggfuliiiyZfifufinffifigggilgfnglgzgtggglbgogaxagécgflOns and c
tow ard the adjacent neighbor hoods and Western Ken- 85O_257_7164 Or at fd€m0rH@€maff.Uky.€dU O
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