PHOTOS: Rupp Area Master Planning, presentation slides

The Rupp Arena Arts and Entertainment District Task Force has posted a PDF of Space Group’s presentation from last Thursday.

I’ve pulled some of the pictures from that document to give some context to the largely textless PDF document. These images tell the general story of where Bates is at in his planning (or at least, where he’s publicly at in his planning). For full recaps of his presentation and more context for these images see the meeting rundowns: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3.

With that said, let’s get to it:

Rupp and Convention Center as it is now.

Rupp Arena, freed.

Walking distances… not really all that far.

Fayette Mall v. the Downtown Core. One people walk, the other people drive.

The Mirroring of the current downtown core down Manchester St. through the Distillery District, eventually placing Rupp Arena as the center rather than the current terminus.

The Transferia. Bates ackowledges the difficulties and it seems everyone’s told him it’s a no go. Perhaps it’s just a vision of the future when, as Corman said, gas hits $10/gal.

Downtown Lexington city density, 1907. The black parts represent buildings. (The red dashed box is today’s Rupp footprint.

The exact same area, showing the city’s density today.

Weaving, enhancing and connecting various existing street identities.

The Commons, downtown Lexington back in the day.

Sparse conceptualization of Town Branch in the future.

The path of The Commons, creating urban green space. This does not mean they are talking about a green park going the length of downtown. The type of connective public space may change from section to section. The idea is simply to connect one end of Downtown to the other in a pedestrian friend/encouraging series of public spaces following a path.

Simplified/initial view of a transformed Cox Street parking lot.

The full picture of what we’re talking about.

Space Group charted Lexington’s downtown events (the color-calendar wheel), and for each month have added suggested additional events to bring people downtown more regularly, particularly in the winter months/basketball season, when downtown’s events dry up.

Connecting current bike paths with current bike routes, and increasing signed bike streets.

Replacing existing surface lots with underground/garage structured parking.

Looking down Broadway toward the Hyatt and High Street.

A is changes little, fails to make anything “better.” B is cost-prohibitive. C1 seems the one Bates most prefers.

Comparing the various options for renovating Rupp and moving/rebuilding the Convention Center.

More traditional convention center types.

The “campus-style” distributed convention center model Bates seems to lean toward.

Simplified/example sketch of campus convention center covered walkway and common space. The Commons here stretching straight-through the distributed convention halls and ballrooms.

First the Maxwell/High parking lot is transformed into a sports park.

Later, possibly adding residential, commercial and a school.

Much later, more residential and commercial filling in.

Existing Rupp Arena and Convention Center. Rupp in blue/purple, Convention Center in red/white.

A “freed Rupp” excises the existing retail and convention spaces, fronting (and opening up) the retail space to spaces facing Main and Broadway.

The full scope of what Bates is looking at, with the various projects highlighted.