Lexington Convention Center Expansion

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

Rupp Arena is the biggest and most famous collegiate basketball arena in the USA. But after almost 40 years of use, its design limits interaction with the public and is in need of a major reinvention. As chairman of the Board for the Lexington Center, Craig Turner led the development of the Lexington Convention Center expansion. This reinvention of Rupp Arena will be a catalyst for urban renewal in downtown Lexington. It will feature expanded concourse spaces, a completely revitalized bowl with chair-back seats throughout, a new hospitality level with premium suite seating, a new center hung-scoreboard, and a host of other amenities that will preserve the authenticity of the original arena while providing a fresh experience for visitors. The overall seat count of 23,500 will remain after the renovation. The renovation of Lexington Center will include expanding existing space and new construction. Doubling space for exhibitions, adding a new ballroom and meeting rooms will add approximately 100,000 square feet to the facility. The design will eliminate existing inefficiencies that make it difficult for Rupp Arena and Lexington Center to hold separate events at the same time. In both projects, the design seeks to create a more dynamic and transparent connection between the events taking place inside the facility and out in the city.

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