The University of Kentucky’s oldest building, the Administration Building, as it was previously called, was severely damaged by fire on May 15, 2001. Now called the Main Building, it caught fire from a construction worker’s blowtorch during renovations. The roof and much of the third floor were destroyed. More than three years after it nearly burned down, UK held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its renovation. The cost of the renovation was $17.3 million for the building that was built in the 1880s. About half of the renovation cost came from the insurance claim from the fire; the rest was raised privately. The building used to hold 30,700 square feet of offices. It now provides about 43,000 square feet, including two balconies that look out on the Patterson Office Tower. A new tower, the same height as the clock tower that burned in 1919, sits atop a spacious conference room. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff