The University of Kentucky’s Student Center is slated to go offline Saturday as the school prepares to launch a $175 million dollar renovation of the facility, pushing a number of services into temporary locations.
Anyone walking the UK grounds in the past few months has probably noticed a pair of plain, boxy structures springing up on the north end of campus. Soon they’ll be housing services once offered in the Student Center – with dining and retail headed to the building near Singletary dubbed “Bowman’s Den” and the campus bookstore shifting operations to a facility behind the Joe Craft Center.
But the makeshift quarters are only the first visible signs of a transformation that’s been in the making for more than a decade.
"It's been quite journey, I think that's the best way of putting it," Student Center Director John Herbst says.
Smaller offices will set up shop in other campus buildings: Blazer Hall will house management staff and the Cat’s Den, Bosworth Hall will serve as the new spot for the Kaplan Test Prep facility, and White Hall will play host to student radio station WRFL.
"Were trying to make this as seamless as possible for servers of the university community," Herbst says. "So each individual office responsible for operating their space will come online as quickly as they can."
Plans for the new Student Center include a 600-seat cinema, retail and residential dining, and a Barnes & Noble-run student bookstore. Officials hope to cut the ribbon in January 2018.
Find updates on new service locations here.
See more concept photos on the university's Renovation Blog.
