may 20, 2023

posted in: photography | 0

“Old age I’ve decided is a gift. I’m grateful to be alive, a blessing many will never enjoy.” ~ Unknown

from above

I finally received clearance to share some of my photos from May 10, the day the Kentucky Climate Consortium was given a tour of the Reynolds Building. It’s just magnificent what they’re doing, and it will make an astounding space for the College of Design. This is a view from the back of what was used for studios, easily identified by the brick elevator housing. The new section of the Reynolds Building, what looks to be the very back of the building, was used for storage, I think. I went back there once and remember how dark it was and not much else. There is a four-foot difference between the old section and the new one, so the architects used it to their advantage by creating a theater with seating from the second story. You can see the opening to the lower left of the photo above.

one side

The photos above and below are to the left and right of the door that opened into the darkroom. It’s a pity they couldn’t leave the interior brick exposed, but they’ve had to use insulation to seal it to make the space efficient. It will be covered with drywall. The windows will be replaced, but the ceiling will remain open, and the floors will remain intact. If you were ever in the darkroom, you’d remember the blue floors, so it is mighty impressive that they’ve sanded it all off to show the natural grain.

the other side

The scaffolding is in place of what will be the grand staircase. It will weigh in at 25,000 pounds. Between it and the open plans of the area has required additional steel reinforcement that you can see in the ceiling on the upper right of the photo below and the top photo. They’ve also shored up the foundations with additional supports in the basement. The bank of windows near the ceiling will remain open to provide loads of natural light throughout the open space. It’s all very exciting, and again, I’m proud UK raised the money to do this instead of tearing it down. It will be worth it.

as below

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