The buildings that once made up the University of Kentucky’s Cooperstown were taken down to make room for a new student housing complex.
But, as of Wednesday, a marker stands in their place.
The bustling area along Woodland Avenue may no longer look out over the original Cooperstown housing units set up on Experiment Station Farm, but the name “Cooper” is familiar to anyone who has walked the campus – from Cooper Street to Cooper House. They’re all named after Thomas Poe Cooper, a fervent supporter of UK and onetime dean of the School of Agriculture.
His grandson, NBC sportscaster and UK alumnus Tom Hammond, said Cooper would be amazed by the current view.
"I don't think there's any question that he would be amazed at how beautiful these new dorms are, and to think that they started out with prefabricated Army barracks is pretty impressive," he says.
Cooperstown once served as temporary housing for World War II veterans, many returning to school on the GI Bill.
The new marker is located on the Woodland Avenue side of the Woodland Glen dorms.
