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Completed in 1990, the Swain Student Activities Center has served UofL as truly the heart of student life on campus. Guests to the building will undoubtedly notice its interesting design. The building has an East wing and West wing that are connected by a walkway on the third floor that crosses over an active railway. The SAC was originally designed to provide safe passage over the railroad tracks for students commuting into campus. While the SAC still serves this mission well, it also serves to connect the center of campus and the Floyd Street corridor of ever-expanding athletic facilities. After a large renovation and expansion project was completed in Fall 2018, the SAC was equipped with state-of-the-art meeting and event facilities as well as a multitude of new dining options and an expanded bookstore.
Student Activities Center Facts
- Opened for business: August 1990
- Prime Architect: Johnson/Romanowitz Architects
- Associate Architect/design: Jasper Ward, Architect
- Cost: $23,807,000
- Financing: Student Activity Fees ($7.8 million), Commonwealth of Kentucky ($13 million), Athletic Association ($3 million)
- Square footage: 287,579 (6.6 acres)
Features of new Student Activities Center:
- 32,775 SF of additional space
- Over 80,000 SF of existing space completely renovated
- 16 new meeting rooms at 24,800 SF
- Expanded, fully renovated retail space
- Renovated, expanded bookstore/retail areas with outside patios
- Enhanced/expanded dining facilities
- Newly designed plazas
- Central internal escalators replaced with open stairways/floorplan
- New Façade
- Upgraded infrastructure