Locals call the Lexington Financial Center, the glass giant in front of you, Fifth Third or the Big Blue Building. The tower rises 410 feet with 31 floors and contains 357,361 square feet. It stands between Vine Street and Main Street at South Mill Street, its blue-tinted glass having become an identifying symbol for the downtown.
The project was originally proposed as a 26-story skyscraper in 1984 across from the Vine Center and replaced a failed plan called the Galleria. State support arrived when then-Governor Martha Layne Collins announced $7.5 million in aid toward a six-level parking structure serving Triangle Center and this tower. Construction finished in 1987; upon completion the building housed the Webb Company, the Bank of Lexington, Sherman, Carter, Barnhart Architects, and a law firm.
Today it houses Fifth Third Bank among other financial institutions, including Kentucky Employers' Mutual Insurance. Stand here and feel the scale — the height, the blue glass reflecting the street — and remember the layers of proposals, funding, and firms that brought it to life. Follow the blue-tinted glass 410 feet skyward, all 31 floors of it, then find the street reflected back at you.