UK Campus Expansion through the Decades

1860 2020

UK Property

Year Display: 2020

University of Kentucky Building History (1865-2020)

Travel back through time and get a glimpse of the University of Kentucky (UK) campus. Use this map to explore building construction, acquisition, and historical trends in usage and campus planning. This map lays out the building history on UK Campus as it exists today, with only existing structures (buildings that have been demolished are not shown).

UK was first established as a land-grant institution in 1865. It wasn't until 1880 that UK started development at its current location off of South Limestone in Lexington, Kentucky. The campus initially comprised of three buildings, only one of which still remains - UK Main Building (1882).

Photo of Main Administration Building. Provided by exploreUK, clicking the image will take you to a collection of UK postcards.

After scrolling through the time slider you will notice there are several buildings that were constructed in earlier years, and later acquired by the University as campus expanded. The oldest structure on campus is actually 206 E Maxwell St. - built in 1853 and acquired by the University in 1994. By selecting from the dropdown options, you can also filter and examine key trends based on buildings usage type (housing, medical, campus, etc.).