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If anything, Rupp Arena is big, but concrete surroundings steal some charm

The proudest Kentucky basketball fans think of Rupp Arena as college basketball’s Wrigley Field. More objective types say it’s more like Cincinnati’s old Riverfront Stadium.

Rupp mostly is just big, holding 23,000 fans. While it has been the site for some of the biggest moments in Kentucky basketball since 1976, it lacks the charm or quaint qualities of a Wrigley or Fenway Park, or even Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium. Nor does it have many of the modern-day enhancements designed to improve the fan experience.

Passersby on Main Street in Lexington often drive past the 39-year-old building without knowing it because Rupp is wrapped in a massive collection of concrete — it’s attached to a hotel, mall and a 66,000-square-foot convention center. The only clear sign that reads “Rupp Arena” is actually on the back side of the building.

That’s where the city got the idea to “Free Rupp,” a phrase coined by Space Group designer Gary Bates and turned into a marketing slogan for the arena’s proposed renovation. The city in 2011 hired the Norwegian design firm led by Bates, a former Kentucky instructor, to begin planning a new or renovated Rupp.

When NBBJ ultimately won the business and unveiled its design in February 2014, the firm said its intent was “to make Rupp a prototype for modern sports venues,” both in terms of its transparent glass skin that would reach 40 feet high and its sustainability features.

One of the major intents of the renovation project was to give Rupp more of its own identity, both from the curb and from the sky. A well-lit Rupp Arena sign on the roof of the renovated building would have given it an even more distinguished look from above.

The abrupt angles on the exterior, glass and lighting would have positioned Rupp as a modern, inviting building that would have changed the feel of Lexington’s downtown.

The seating bowl inside would have added around 20 luxury suites, 1,000 or more club seats and loge boxes, although those specifics have never been finalized. Rupp currently has no premium seating. The upper arena, of which two-thirds has bleacher seating, would have all new seats with chairbacks throughout.

But the $80 million the city thought was coming from the state never gained approval and the project withered last year. It remains dormant, essentially stuck in time.

“There’s a lot more scrutiny on how the dollars are being spent,” NBBJ architect Robert Mankin said. “These projects that require public support are taking longer to come to fruition, especially since the recession. Everyone is just being cautious about how fiscal dollars are being spent.”

Nothing has been posted on the Twitter account for the project @Ruppdistrict since early last year. The official website RuppDistrict.com is dead. And the YouTube video that announced the renovation plans still is available, but now offers the false promise: “Coming 2017.”

“We haven’t had a lot of movement and publicly there doesn’t appear to be a lot of movement, but we’re having conversations between the different folks,” Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart said. “We’re all trying to get to a finish line, but we’re still a ways off on that.”

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