RUPP ARENA   WILDCATS NEW HOME
Rupp Arena affords the University of Kentucky its third basketball home in 52 years, and with its 23,000 seat capacity, brings a distinction as the nation's largest basketball facility.
An awesome structure in sight and scope, the arena is divided in two seating areas the lower level features 10,000 fully cushioned, theater seats in block coloring of blue, red, orange and purple, offering a spectacular splash of colorand a upper level of 13,000 seats on epoxy-coated metal bleachers. The latter can be visually isolated to provide a more natural setting for small shows.
Built by the City of Lexington, the Arena is named in honor of Kentucky's legendary former coach, Adolph Rupp, and is the major portion of $53 million Lexington Center complex which includes a convention-exhibition hall, a 50-store tri-tevel enclosed shopping mall, a luxury Hyatt Regency Hotel, and a block away, the historic 1.200 seat Lexington Opera House, which was recently renovated.
The arena is fully air-conditioned, equipped with a specially designed, high quality sound system appropriately named "Big Bertha," and complete lighting for events and color television coverage. Special attention has been paid to such facilities as dressing rooms, service entrances and storage areas.
The Wildcats will command an exclusive dressing room 365 days a year, while other facilities include six team size and eight smaller units.
The portable basketball court, which lies on a concrete sub-flooring 118' beneath the ceiling, is 60' x 120' and is made of a light shade of northern maple trimmed in Kentucky blue. The floor was specially designed to convert from the 94' length required for college and professional basketball to the 84' length for high school by simply removing two panels.
Four 35' x 4' custom-made scoreboards are placed so spectators can see at least three of the boards from any seat in the arena.
The solid state, electronic scoreboards can be used for basketball, rodeos, wrestling, boxing, and track and field. For track and field events, they can record times to 1/100th of a second. Lighted information on the boards is colored balanced for television.
Four portable goals are on hand, with the two extras for practice and emergency backup during game situations.
Access to the Arena is by High Street, and from Main-Vine, through the Mall area and up to the High Street entrance by escalators. One main concourse contains all public facilities concessions, telephones, water fountains, rest rooms, first aid rooms and security command post.
The concourse is color-coded with the arena being divided into four quadrants for easy seat location. The colors are red, blue, amethyst and green. The concourse is at mid-level, dividing the lower seating area from the upper level bleacher seating.
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