LOOK: The original design for Rupp Arena

Photo via Mark Mahan | Herald-Leader

Here’s something cool to end your Thursday with. Mark Story of the Herald-Leader recently visited Lexington broadcast legend Jim Host to tour his collection of Kentucky sports memorabilia, and included was one of the original designs for Rupp Arena.

The never-seen-before rendering shows Rupp as a three-level, 25,700 seat arena, but the plan had to be scaled back because there wasn’t enough space to build it. Here’s what the building looked like when it opened in 1976…

…What it looks like now:

…And what the outside will look like when the renovations are complete in 2021:For more on Host’s amazing collection, head on over to the Herald-Leader. He says he’s…