Commonwealth Stadium

Commonwealth Stadium

I chose to talk about Commonwealth Stadium because like Rupp Arena it is another big athletic attraction to Lexington.  Both of these hosts athletic events during their seasons and Commonwealth Stadium is where the University of Kentucky's football team plays.  Like Rupp Arena it is in the process of being remodeled and expanded to allow for more seats to be added along with making the stadium more up to date and technical to meet the needs and desires of fans and prospective athletes.

   

Commonwealth Stadium was first built in 1973 at the price of $12 million on 86-acres of land.  At that time it had 57,800 seats available and with the most recent expansion it upgraded to 67,606.  This expansion came in 1999 and cost the university around $27.6 million overall.  Also, in 2005 a Bermuda grass playing surface was added to the stadium.  These expansions of Commonwealth stadium helped bring in more of a revenue by allowing more ticket sales to be sold in correlation with the sales from concessions and merchandise sales.  In this situation it is evident that with an expansion to a premier athletic facility the possibility for an increase in overall revenue is definitely a positive.  

While reading this article, I thought of a few questions.  First, how much will the new expansion of Commonwealth Stadium cost the university?  Second, where do the funds for this project come from in the university's financial plan?  Third, if this renovation was possible, why is there such a problem with the renovation of Rupp Arena?  Fourth, what is the gross profit of Commonwealth in a season compared to Rupp Arena in a season?

Rupp Arena: Local Economy

Rupp Arena: Local Economy

The local economy of Lexington, Kentucky is affected with every business or attraction in the area in some way.  Whether it be good or bad everything plays a part in stabilizing it or increasing it.  Not many other businesses produce more revenue and promote other businesses as much as Rupp Arena does.  Rupp is located at 430 W Vine St. and it definitely plays a huge role in the local economy of Lexington.  Rupp brings in roughly 23,000 fans each game with around 18 home games each year.  Not only are these fans spending money on their tickets, concessions, and merchandise, but the fans coming in from out of the area have to stay somewhere and eat somewhere when not at the game. 

There are close to a hundred hotels in the city of Lexington and many of these will be booked with loyal fans coming to stay the night for the game.  While in town these fans will need somewhere to eat before or after the game.  There are hundreds of local restaurants hungry for wildcat fans to serve.  Every type of food you can imagine is available in the city and are sure not to disappoint.  Also, people just might spend an extra day and make a weekend out of the trip.  This allows attractions like: Keeneland, Kentucky Horse Park, Aviation Museum of Kentucky, and the University of Kentucky Art Museum to get some recognition and attention.

So, clearly if you can't tell Rupp Arena is one of the biggest local economy boosters in the area.  It already brings in a lot of fans from out of the local area to watch games, just imagine if it was expanded to make room for more seating.  Do you know how much that would increase Lexington's local economy?

Lexington Cemetery

Lexington Cemetery

This photo comes from a website talking about the Lexington Cemetery and Henry Clay Monument.  It is of the Romanesque gatehouse and office of the Lexington Cemetery.  It was the very first rural cemetery located in Lexington, Kentucky.  This cemetery was first created in 1849 on only 40 acres of land and eventually expanded to 170 acres.  Also on the land features an arboretum and two large lakes that house many animals and critters.  The original gatehouse was built by John McMurty and torn down for the new Romanesque gatehouse to be built in 1890.  One of the most popular sites on the cemetery is the Henry Clay Monument, built in 1857, that is dedicated to Henry Clay, one of Kentucky's former senators and three time presidential candidates.  Other than being a senator and presidential candidate, Henry Clay is known for his attempt at securing a compromise between the states on the issue of slavery.  This monument is crafted from native limestone and is where Clay and his wife rest.  The design of the cemetery to this date resembles the original look of the cemetery and is kept up by many staff members.

Many famous and notable Kentuckians have been buried here throughout the years.  Many Union and Confederate soldiers lay to rest here along with veterans from the Spanish-American War.  Former vice president and general in the confederate army, John C. Breckinridge, under James Buchanan and John Lane Allen, author of "The Blue Grass Region of Kentucky" and "Flute and Violin," were buried here. 

A few questions come to mind as I read about the Lexington Cemetery.  First, why did they decide to build it in a rural area?  Second, why was John McMurty chosen to do the building and who is he?  Third, why were so many notable Kentuckians buried here instead of in other cemeteries?  Fourth, who was the architect for the Henry Clay Monument?  

Memorial Hall at University of Kentucky

Memorial Hall at University of Kentucky

This photo comes from Campus Guide-Memorial Hall on the University of Kentucky's website. I looked around for interesting monuments on the campus that most people would not know very much about during their time here.  I came across the Memorial Hall and decided to look up more about it on the internet.  

Memorial Hall was built in 1929 as a memorial for the lives lost in World War I.  This is a very important building on the universities campus that is used for many performances, lectures, and graduations from certain colleges.  There is a large fresco in the lobby of Memorial Hall that was completed in 1934 by Ann Rice O'Hanlon to give a depiction of Lexington.  Ann was a graduate of the university and constructed this for the Public Works of Art Project.  This structure stands at the end of Funkhouser Drive on 610 South Limestone Drive.  The image of Memorial Hall's Clock Tower is used in many advertisements for the university, especially the famous picture where the image of the clock tower splits the U and the K.

A few questions began to come to mind when reading about Memorial Hall.  First, what is the importance of World War I to the city of Lexington? Second, how does this memorial actually memorialize the lives lost during World War I?  Third, why was this building built at the place it is? Fourth, what depiction does the fresco give of Early Lexington? Fifth, how many names were dedicated at this memorial?