​$5.2 Million Gift from Gray, Inc., Will Create New Home for UK College of Design

A transformative gift of more than $5.2 million will create a new home for the University of Kentucky’s College of Design and an exciting entry point into Lexington.

This donation will allow UK to realize a renovation and revitalization of the Reynolds Building – a former tobacco warehouse that has been empty for several years – into a vibrant new space for Design’s five programs. It would be the first time that the college’s students, faculty, staff and programs would be housed in one location – a move that will also allow for even greater collaboration between the college and other programs across the campus, including Landscape Architecture, which will co-habitate with Design in the new structure and Biomedical Engineering, which will share studio space and curriculum with the new Product Design program.

In collaboration with UK’s College of Engineering and the Gatton School of Business and Economics, the College of Design also will work with faculty leadership to establish a design-build curriculum.

The property – to be named the Gray Design Building – sits facing Broadway on one side and the UK campus on the other, making it a landmark entry into Lexington.

Slated to break ground later this year, the project, when complete, will represent one of the most significant examples on the UK campus of “adaptive reuse” – the idea of using preservation and sustainability techniques and efforts to re-purpose older, historic facilities in new ways.

Gray, Inc. is the owner of Gray Construction, a family-owned business that is considered one of the pre-eminent design-build companies in the country. The family has deep roots in Lexington and the Commonwealth and is recognized as an industry leader in design-build.

“As a family and on behalf of our team members, it’s the privilege of a lifetime to make this investment in UK’s College of Design, which includes the School of Architecture where we’ve had a special kinship for almost 50 years,” said Jim Gray. Franklin Gray, a graduate of the College, added, “We’re honored to play a role in expanding UK’s educational influence across the state and in helping to attract the best students, faculty and staff.”

“At a time when reinventing existing buildings is essential to conserve resources and decarbonize, this generous gift allows us to realize the transformation of the disused Reynolds building into a vibrant hub for cross-disciplinary design education,” said Jeanne Gang. “It is particularly meaningful that this gift comes from the Gray family, as they have been passionate champions of the value that great design can bring for both the people and the city of Lexington.