UK’s new food hall will be the first place on campus to get a beer
The new food hall coming to the University of Kentucky campus has a name. And something that no other place on campus has: Beer.
The university announced on Thursday that the mixed-use building going up on the corner of South Limestone and Winslow Street will be called The Cornerstone.
And the first three tenants of The Cornerstone Exchange, the ground level dining area featuring Kentucky companies, will be West Sixth Brewing, A Cup of Common Wealth coffee shop and Rolling Oven, a pizzeria.
While beer is available at UK’s Spindletop Hall and The Boone Center, which are membership associations, alcohol is not publicly available anywhere on campus or in Kroger Field football stadium or at Rupp Arena basketball games, except in suites.
The Cornerstone is scheduled to be finished this fall. Besides the food hall, it will have 900 new parking spaces, 10,000 square feet of retail and the university’s 100-seat esports theater.
The name was chose by a campus-wide vote.
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“We are very excited to announce both the name The Cornerstone, which underscores the importance of this facility as a doorway to our campus, and our relationship with these local businesses,” said UK executive vice president for Finance and Administration Eric Monday, in a news release. “Each of these organizations has a strong connection to, and engagement with, the local community. They reflect the kind of supportive, collaborative environment we plan to create in this space.”
The esports theater will include 100 retractable theater-style seats and an esports gamers lounge will have more than 50 PC-based gaming units and multiple console-play areas. But the space may be used for more than gaming; according to the release, “the flexible use of the facility will allow the community to engage in a variety of activities.”
The university will operate and maintain the innovation zone, esports center and parking structure.
The retail and dining area will be operated and maintained by Signet Real Estate Group.
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“The Cornerstone Exchange communal dining area provides additional opportunity to build community and collaboration,” said Melody Flowers, executive director for strategic analysis and policy in the release. “We know that some of the most meaningful relationships are built while people break bread. This facility will feature multiple components, including dining space and innovation space. We look forward to continuing our quick progress in transforming this integral, forward thinking part of campus in partnership with Signet Real Estate Group.”
Leasing for The Cornerstone Exchange will be handled by Colleen Barr and Greg Leveridge with Block + Lot Real Estate.
Signet Real Estate Group’s Spencer Hyatt said The Cornerstone Exchange “will bring together a diverse offering of the best-in-class local operators in a collaborative atmosphere. We are truly excited to have Rolling Oven, A Cup of Common Wealth and West Sixth Brewing as our first tenants and anchors for this project.”
Ben Self, co-founder of West Sixth Brewing, said they are excited to open their third taproom in Lexington on campus.
“We’re proud to be part of The Cornerstone project at the University of Kentucky,” Self said. “It’s very exciting to be an anchor of another locally focused food collaborative space. Growing up in Lexington, I’m keenly aware of the role that our flagship university plays in our city, and I’m particularly excited to deepen our partnership with UK.”
Cup of Common Wealth posted news of the expansion — this will be the coffee shop’s third location — on Instagram, saying “Guys we have such an exciting announcement to make! This coming fall, we’ll be opening up a new coffee shop over on the corner of Winslow and Limestone on UK’s campus! The building will have a huge parking structure, and esports facility, some multi-use spaces, and a whole bunch of your favorite local businesses. Our good friends, @westsixth and @rollingoven are going to be in that space with us. We’re excited to into this with them, and hopefully make our family just a little bit bigger!”
