Guy I work with has a cousin who is an architect in LA. Supposedly, the architect firm the cousin works for got information about doing a bid for a new arena. Make of it what you will. Could be complete BS or could be something.
Rumor: New Arena
- Thread starter NewEraCATS
- Start date
How's it getting paid for? I'd think the Yum Center disaster might've poisoned the "taxpayer dollars for arena" well in this state for the foreseeable future. Good lord what a money pit that place turned out to be. UL ruins everything, should've just kept their asses in Freedom Hall.
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It's a given a new (or largely renovated) arena will happen at some point, whether the city does something or UK gets tired of waiting and builds its own. I wouldn't put much stock in internet rumors at this point, though.
UK basketball needs to be back on campus...
I think the ideal spot would be somewhere near CWS...baseball is going to move that way...makes sense...would be able to use stadium parking...
I think the ideal spot would be somewhere near CWS...baseball is going to move that way...makes sense...would be able to use stadium parking...
Kick BCTC out of their Cooper Campus and just build it there. Perfect spot, IMO.
You guys are assuming it's for here. The OP never stated that. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
Would be awesome to have a university owned arena. That would keep a ton of money in UK's pockets.
Another thing to look at is attendance, how many fans do we being in total through out the year for home games in basketball and football? They are probably pretty close to one another in total attendance. If UK was able to save all that extra revenue that bb generates that's just much more money we have to play with.
UL has over a billion dollars in it's slush fund it can easily pay for an arena. I don't know how much we have but I'd much rather UK foot the bill than to ask the tax payers.
UL has over a billion dollars in it's slush fund it can easily pay for an arena. I don't know how much we have but I'd much rather UK foot the bill than to ask the tax payers.
Yeah, attendance is roughly the same for football and basketball, at least on average and assuming we're talking Rich Brooks/Mark Stoops attendance and not Joker Phillips attendance. Say ~450k a year for basketball (number of home games vary every season) and that's a lot of money. Which is exactly why the threat of building its own arena (which it hasn't made quite yet) will be enough to kick the city into action and actually build a new arena or renovate Rupp. The new scoreboard is a placation until the city tries again.
And Louisville has so much money because they got the taxpayers to pay for the arena up front and got a sweat (read: corrupt) deal on the lease. However, you are likely correct in that UK could likely fund its own arena privately via bonding and private giving.
I would love to just see Rupp renovated. A new arena would be nice too but to put it by Commonwealth you would have to add a ton of parking. Stadium parking is ok for football because students can move once a week 7 or 8 times a year, on a Saturday. But, look at the issues with this Thursday's game with moving students to off campus parking and imagine doing that many times a year.
I don't agree. As much nostalgia and emotion as we may have invested in Rupp, the truth is there's just a lot inherently wrong with the place that can't be fixed. The acoustics are wrong, the layout is wrong, the distance of too many seats from the court is wrong, the far-from-campus location is wrong, the era-built is wrong (arenas and stadiums built in the 70s generally sucked in all sports--which is largely why most have now been demolished), and the bland boring outward appearance and somewhat-cold feel of the place is wrong.
I really wish all that Yum money would've gone toward a new UK arena. UL doesn't deserve a place like that, especially at Ky taxpayer expense. And given the possibly bankruptcy inducing financial disaster Yum has turned out to be, not sure when we'll get ours now.
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The first time I saw Rupp I was shocked how bland it was. It did not look like an arena that UK played in just looked like a box from the outside. On the inside I was not all that thrilled either. I always think I'm gonna fall down those steep *** steps or I'm gonna throw a UL fan down them. Dunno which one will come first.
Last game I attended I had to sit by UL fans and to listen to that crazy woman was unbearable.
What the city wants to do is put lip stick on a pig cause it def wants to keep that cash cow and milk it for all they can.
Does anybody know the original cost of Rupp when it was built?
Last game I attended I had to sit by UL fans and to listen to that crazy woman was unbearable.
What the city wants to do is put lip stick on a pig cause it def wants to keep that cash cow and milk it for all they can.
Does anybody know the original cost of Rupp when it was built?
$55 million in 1976, which is $220 million in today's dollars. Fairly typical for an off-campus arena of its size. The KFC Yum! Center, less what the city paid for the site, cost $240 million.
240 million is a drop in the bucket if UL has over $1 Billion dollars in a trust.
Sounds to me like they were trying to scam the tax payers in basically giving them an arena for free.
Also what ur saying is if you had 220 million in the bank in 1976 the buying power would be 55 million in today's money if u did not do anything with it. All that buying power lost due to inflation. So if UK borrowed money now to build a 250 million arena wait 40 years to pay it off and it would be considerably less because in the future a dollar will be worth less and less. Shoot it might be so bad that 250 million just might buy you a turkey sammich.
Sounds to me like they were trying to scam the tax payers in basically giving them an arena for free.
Also what ur saying is if you had 220 million in the bank in 1976 the buying power would be 55 million in today's money if u did not do anything with it. All that buying power lost due to inflation. So if UK borrowed money now to build a 250 million arena wait 40 years to pay it off and it would be considerably less because in the future a dollar will be worth less and less. Shoot it might be so bad that 250 million just might buy you a turkey sammich.
I have never heard one legislator complain about UL's lease at the YUM Center. Nor has the Mayor stated any problem with it. No state legislator has made any official inquiry. I keep seeing stories that UL will be in a position to buy it if the loans or bonds default. None of our legislators state or local seem or state any concerns.
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You all are killing me. Louisville does not have a billion dollars in a trust for a basketball arena. It isn't a slush fund. It is a freakin endowment. Every school has one. UL cannot afford to use it for athletics. Nor can UK. Please get informed before popping off comments.
Yes, the YUM center financing is one of a kind. The city is basically gifting it to UL by kicking in debt service of 9 million a year. Lexington won't do that. They are too intelligent. The city is doing for UL what major cities do for pro teams. It is absurd.
Yes, the YUM center financing is one of a kind. The city is basically gifting it to UL by kicking in debt service of 9 million a year. Lexington won't do that. They are too intelligent. The city is doing for UL what major cities do for pro teams. It is absurd.
It's a real contingency. The city has tried to keep UK on board with Rupp Arena renovations, but the city has failed to deliver. Barnhart has been open about UK's requirements. If the city can't renovate Rupp to meet UK's requirements, there will be an on campus basketball arena. That has been true from the beginning. It isn't new. Some people will argue against this by comparing it to the mess in Louisville. But there is no comparison between Kentucky's basketball program and Louisville's. That has never been more obvious. An on campus basketball arena in Lexington would work, because of SEC money, TV money, better corporate support and above all, Kentucky has a much more successful basketball program. If Calipari is all the way on board, there will probably be a new arena. The trick will be getting the city fully on board with it, but they really don't have much choice now that they have fumbled the Rupp renovations.
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Enclose Commonwealth Stadium and let it be a multifunctional building ala the Georgia Dome....the basketball arena would be expanded to seat maybe 35,000. Hey, I can dream:sunglasses:....
I have always wondered why they did not do this. Sounds like a good ideal to me.
Because it's actually a terrible idea, as anyone who's been inside the Carrier Dome could attest.
Obviously, Commonwealth Stadium has not been designed for that. Don't know if it could even be done, but the cost would be as great as building the on campus arena, and the product probably wouldn't be as good.
I was under the impression that is pretty much already happening (BCTC moving off of UK's campus) but I could be wrong. Seems like I talked to someone that works at UK and said that is already happening (for what reason I don't know).
I thought they were leaving the Cooper Campus as well, but they're still there. Maybe it is still in the future plans. /shrug
I hope we do ultimately build on campus. There would also need to be some new development (new hotels, restaurants, bars) near the location to make it a user friendly experience
I have and it is in fact terrible. The pitch and different sizes of the playing areas make it impossible to have a good basketball arena and football field in the same facility .
We should build a new arena with the money in our "slush" fund like the billion UofL has in theirs, at a location "on campus", just about twice as far from Patterson as Rupp is now, because an on campus arena will save a ton of bucks. But if they won't give us the "slush fund money" to build it WE should simply borrow the money from the bank or let all the rich people donate because their are plenty of rich UK boosters. And we should do this because Rupp is cold and was built in the 70's and needs to be torn down, not because of anything like need. And all based on NewEraCats' work mate's architect cousin in LA.
Party on
As much as I hate to say it, way cheaper to stay downtown. What they should odd is improve the quality of the seating at both levels. Those close to the court are past comfortable, and we all know the upper deck is long overdue.
I've seen Clemson replace their arena twice now in the last 20 years, and while I know the demand is not the same from the fan base, the funding by Clemson is nothing short of top notch for basketball.
As long as there's Rupp, this will always be a dilemma.
I've seen Clemson replace their arena twice now in the last 20 years, and while I know the demand is not the same from the fan base, the funding by Clemson is nothing short of top notch for basketball.
As long as there's Rupp, this will always be a dilemma.
If you're going forward with the current Rupp Arena, paint those ducts, at least dust them - this would improve it immensely.
I would love for the cats to have a new arena but I don't see it happening for a few more years yet.
Since the new center scoreboard will require structural improvements to the roof and uppermost sections of the arena, I imagine that will happen.
Football stadiums are great for one thing....football. Anyone who has been to a football stadium to watch a basketball game knows that.
24K is about the right size. Any larger and you can kiss goodbye the ability to have a seat back chair plus you will be a mile away in the upper arena.
24K is about the right size. Any larger and you can kiss goodbye the ability to have a seat back chair plus you will be a mile away in the upper arena.