I, as many others as well, have noticed
over the past few years that the University of Kentucky has greatly
enhanced their sports facilities. The new softball field for the
ladies and the new soccer complex along Alumni Dr brightly advertise
the UK logo both day and night. And prior the this year's football
season, the relocated tail-gating lot which cleverly hides an
underground rainwater runoff control system was completed, but there
is much more to do.
The City is currently in the process of
constructing an enlarged and more modern senior citizens center on a
portion of the Idle Hour Park property. This should allow the City
to transfer, back to the University, the present site which they
received in a land swap for the right-of-way of College View years ago.
From my memory, College View was a
street of modest to small frames houses running from Lexington Avenue
to Rose St. The present entry to the parking lot for the Joe Craft
Center and the Coal Lodge is the sole remaining vestige of the this roadway. There was
small confectionery store on the northwest corner with Rose and a
storefront addition to a house anchoring the other end at Lexington
Ave in my youth.
What I cannot recall is the section of
deteriorating shotgun houses that lined Adams St, which paralleled
College View on the south nor the ones which lined Euclid Ave. They
were built when this area was developed as Adamstown and faced a city
park. This city park was traded for the University's predecessor,
the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical College's, interests in
Woodland Park The only remaining evidence that this street ever
existed is the driveway along the south side of Blazer Hall and the
access to the rear of the Papa Johns/Qudoba lot off of Rose St.
Concerning the little storefront at
College View and Lexington Avenue, the Lafayette studios collection
at the http://exploreuk.uky.edu/
has a couple of images and the 1934 Sanborn Fire insurance map
clearly shows a retail space. Owned by a man named Johnson, he
merely called it Sampy's
In November of 1946, G.L.“Sampy”
Johnson applied to the City and County Planning and Zoning Commission
for a change in the zoning for 200 College View. The request was
from a Residence “B” district to a Business “B” district and
I can only assume that his reason was to make his existing store
comply with the rules. The Commission's Zoning Committee also
concurred and the item was moved to a public hearing.
Objectors at this hearing were led by
Dr McVey, the University president, who “offered objections on
behalf of the university -- not to the operation of a grocery
store...” since the store served the existing residents, “but to
the changing of the entire area as set out by this Commission because
of the probability businesses being established there over which the
University have no jurisdiction.
Strangely enough, in this time period
the Planning Commission was of the habit (or proclivity) of
suggesting and recommending additional properties besides the
requested area. In this case they may have included the whole street
but, since there is no attached map, the entirety is unclear. Was
this the University using its influence beyond it's campus borders?
A Mr. H. B. McGregor also appeared
before the Commission saying that he “objected to such change
because he would dislike seeing any homes being torn down and
converted or built into businesses.” An early preservationist
obviously. Upon consideration of evidence the petition was refused.
I an only wonder how Mr McGreror felt
just two years later when the University called upon the City to
assist in clearing the “slums” of Adamstown and allow the school
to erect their new sports arena, Memorial Coliseum on that spot. Dr
McVey and his successors now had jurisdiction of the area.
What does this have to do with my
opening remarks? Little more than that the University is not shy
about using its influence to “improve” their jurisdiction's
image, be it by removing outdated structures or skillfully
landscaping its grounds as it sees fit. Of all the improvements
around their part of Alumni Dr, the road itself is an aging
(deteriorating) two lane facility for the most part and leads to what
will be a “showcase” Commonwealth Stadium before next season.
When Commonwealth Stadium was planned
in the early '70s, the University provided two access points on the
southern boundary of its shrinking research farm. This road,
connecting those two points, was labeled as “Farm Road D” and
wound itself through the rolling fields. It looked to be a lot of
pavement to only used for a few football games a year.
At this same time the City was
wrestling with suburban traffic and looking to implement a long
planned connector road between the Mt Tabor/Tates Creek Rd
intersection and Rosemont Garden/Nicholasville Rd intersection.
Envisioned in the 1930 Comprehensive Plan prior to any suburban
development, to push through established neighborhoods as other
communities were doing, Lexington found very stiff resistance.
Farm Road D provided a reasonable
alternative in terms of traffic movement and allowed the contested
connector road to be put to rest, except. Most of the non game day
type traffic would be coming from the residents and taxpayers of the
City, therefore the City should bear the cost of maintenance became
the University's position. Therefore a memorandum of understanding
(MoU) was hammered out and I believe is still in effect today.
Th MoU and the alignment of the roadway
have impact on issues such as traffic control, snow removal, out of
county emergency medical access and even the joint Arboretum venture
which is so successful. What appears to not be covered is the now
needed upgrade and landscaping of a primary approach to the SEC class
(and pride of the Commonwealth) football stadium.
I realize that the Town-Gown
discussions were primarily to bridge the gap from downtown to campus,
but I hope that this is not too far afield to create a better image
for our visitors and a point of pride for our residents. The
impending shuttering of the existing senior citizens center will
allow the final campus access point to be brought in line with the
rest and reinforce the University's overall image.
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