The University of Kentucky's new mixed-use parking, education and retail facility, currently under construction on the corner of South Limestone and Winslow Street, will be named "The Cornerstone," and West Sixth Brewing, A Cup of Commonwealth and Rolling Oven have officially signed on as retail vendors.
The new structure will include 900 new parking spaces, a UK esports center and flexible innovation zone, and roughly 10,000 square feet for private retail.
The Cornerstone name was decided based on the results of a campuswide vote, university officials said, and it reflects the building’s role as a gateway to an emerging innovation district that will further link the university and city. The project is scheduled to be completed in fall 2020.
Local companies West Sixth Brewing, A Cup of Commonwealth and Rolling Oven will join the facility's planned multi-vendor dining area on the ground level, which will be named The Cornerstone Exchange.
“We are very excited to announce both the name The Cornerstone, which underscores the importance of this facility as a doorway to our campus, and our relationship with these local businesses,” said Eric Monday, UK executive vice president for finance and administration, in a media release announcing the new name and retail additions. “Each of these organizations has a strong connection to, and engagement with, the local community. They reflect the kind of supportive, collaborative environment we plan to create in this space.”
Monday said the vision for The Cornerstone is to leverage the open-format space and use of technology to maximize student success, enhance a sense of community and bring together the university and city. Moreover, the space is designed to foster outcome- and solution-driven thinking and design, connect people with different passions and interests and provide new pathways for career development in entrepreneurial fields.
“The Cornerstone Exchange communal dining area provides additional opportunity to build community and collaboration,” said Melody Flowers, UK's executive director for strategic analysis and policy.
“We know that some of the most meaningful relationships are built while people break bread,” Flowers said. “This facility will feature multiple components, including dining space and innovation space. We look forward to continuing our quick progress in transforming this integral, forward thinking part of campus in partnership with Signet Real Estate Group.”
After completion, Signet will maintain and operate the retail/dining space; UK will operate and maintain the innovation zone, parking structure and esports center. The space’s esports theater will include 100 retractable theater-style seats. An esports gamers lounge will offer more than 50 PC-based gaming units and multiple console-play areas.
“From the beginning of this partnership, Signet and UK have endeavored to create a unique retail environment for students, staff and the Lexington community,” said Spencer Hyatt, Signet Real Estate Group vice president of development. “The Cornerstone Exchange will bring together a diverse offering of the best-in-class local operators in a collaborative atmosphere. We are truly excited to have Rolling Oven, A Cup of Common Wealth and West Sixth Brewing as our first tenants and anchors for this project.”
"We're proud to be part of The Cornerstone project at the University of Kentucky," said Ben Self, co-founder of West Sixth Brewing. "It's very exciting to be an anchor of another locally focused food collaborative space. Growing up in Lexington, I'm keenly aware of the role that our flagship university plays in our city, and I'm particularly excited to deepen our partnership with UK. With the deep roots we've formed focusing on distributing our beer exclusively in Kentucky — especially in Lexington where we started — it made perfect sense for us to partner with the university to open our third taproom in Lexington, and fifth throughout Kentucky."