The University of Kentucky announced plans to transform the western edge of its campus into a new arts district thanks you a $150 million donation from The Bill Gatton Foundation, the largest in the university’s history. The donation, accepted Dec. 2 by the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, will support the creation of an arts district and green spaces along the South Broadway corridor, linking the university more closely with Lexington’s growing downtown core.
Plans call for a new home for the College of Fine Arts next to the recently completed Gray Design Building, along with a performance venue capable of hosting dance, music, and theater productions. The district will also include a public pavilion and a network of green spaces connecting several blocks near Bolivar Street and the existing School of Art and Visual Studies.
“This gift will realize a vision to create an arts district on the western edge of our campus,” UK President Eli Capilouto said. “There, we can integrate art into an area of Lexington that is an increasingly vibrant and vital intersection of campus and city.”
From a development perspective, the project strategically links the campus to the Distillery District, Central Bank Center, and the city’s new Gatton Park at Town Branch. Construction will move forward once the Kentucky General Assembly authorizes bond issuance, a step that already has legislative support. Senate President Robert Stivers noted the potential for the district to boost the state’s film industry workforce.
The gift builds on the legacy of the late C.M. “Bill” Gatton, a UK alumnus whose foundation has contributed more than $200 million to the university. Past gifts have supported the Gatton College of Business and Economics, the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and the Gatton Student Center.
University officials said the College of Fine Arts will play a key role in shaping programming for the new district, and long-term plans are underway for the future use of existing arts facilities, including the Singletary Center for the Arts and the UK Art Museum.