Patterson Office Tower climbs 250 feet above the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington, Kentucky, right in front of you. It is UK’s only current high-rise following the 2020 demolition of the Kirwan–Blanding residence hall complex, which had included two 264-foot (80 m) towers. Completed in 1969 and named for James Kennedy Patterson—who served as the university’s first president from 1869 to 1910—the tower primarily houses faculty offices and conference rooms.
Many offices of the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Social Work, Honors at UK, the Dean of Students and the Division of Student Affairs are inside. In 1966 trustees received models for this tower and the White Hall Classroom Building; construction began in 1967 and finished in 1969. The tower stands on the site of the White Hall Dormitory, a male dormitory that stood from 1882, and it sits near the White Hall Classroom Building and the Main Building.
A statue of Patterson greets the base of the tower. Notice the statue of Patterson at the base, close to the White Hall Classroom Building and the Main Building nearby.