Louisville Makes Hard Hats Look Easy

Pride Goeth Before the Construction
Did you know that currently there’s over $2 billion in construction and planning for the Louisville central business district alone — and this amount’s expected to double in the next few years? In fact, 25 projects have been completed so far, including hotels, office development, condos/retail/office hybrids, and a city block reserved for major development, not to mention the new Louisville arena.

Oh wait. We lied. Of course we’re going to mention the new arena. After all, it’s one the city’s greatest boot-strappin’ measures.

The arena is a $238 million project, opening this Fall, just in time for the UofL men and women’s basketball teams to be playing their home games in their new home. Additionally this seven-level architectural wonder is designed to accommodate a wide variety of other events including NCAA championships, wrestling, swimming, and volleyball, as well as concerts, circuses, boxing, and ice shows. All in all, the arena will bring hundreds of thousands of people downtown each year, generating new revenue for Louisville Metro and the Commonwealth.

And if this little note seems too prideful, well, it’s not our fault. It’s just that Louisville has so darn much to be proud of.

The “Your Name Here” Arena
Ok, well, the Louisville arena will only sort of be named after you. Just ADD YOUR COMMENT BELOW and tell us what you think the most significant downtown development effort is (Whisky Row, Creation Gardens, ZirMed, etc.), and we’ll enter your name to win a VIP invitation to the Topping-Off Ceremony. This is a celebration of the completion of the major architectural construction phase, where you’ll get to personally autograph the last beam that’ll be installed to complete the project. The ceremony will be Monday March 29, from 1:00–2:30 at the arena construction site; the six winners will be contacted on Friday March 26.

Good luck!

A special thanks to Broken Sidewalk for its relentless efforts to report on the development happening in downtown Louisville.

It Happens To Be Possible Here

Here’s What’s Happening
Everybody knows about University of Louisville sports, but there’s a whole bunch of other stuff we can all cheer about.

So read on, professor, and then scroll down to see how you can upload your photo to hundreds of other UofL-Loving Friends of Lou.

Give Me a U! Give Me an L!
Go, Research!!!!
UofL researchers have discovered the world’s first effective vaccine against cervical cancer, identified a key protein behind chronic kidney disease, and discovered how to use a patient’s own cardiac stem cells to repair damage from a heart attack. Plus, we’re Number Two in our percent increase in federal research funds 2001–2008.

Yaaaay, Healtcare Treatment and Innovation!!!
Not only has UofL’s Health Sciences Center earned recognition as the state’s first certified stroke center, it’s also expanded to become a remote physician robot network (one that includes 13 hospitals to date). And most recently, the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center was granted a three-year accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers — the first and only in Kentucky.

Give Me an “A+”!
Since its establishment in 1907 the College of Arts and Sciences has grown to be the University’s largest academic unit. Members of its Hall of Honor include Charles Farnsley, Sue Grafton, Marsha Norman, and Johnny Unitas.

Holla’ Back, Business!
The UofL College of Business is “One of America’s Best Business Colleges” (the Princeton Review) and the leading entrepreneurial school in our region.

If You Can’t Do It, No One Can!!!
The Grawemeyer Awards are five annual prizes given in the fields of music, political science, psychology, education, and religion. Founded by H. Charles Grawemeyer, the awards honor ideas rather than life-long or publicized personal achievement. Recipients of the 2010 Grawemeyer Awards will discuss their work, April 12–15. Click here to attend this free event.

Put the “You” in UofL
Put yourself in the picture: Outside the planetarium or inside the pub. Reading stories in the Ekstrom Library or climbing stories in the green dormitories. From the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute, the home of the new researchers, to the Speed Art Museum, the home of the old masters — take a photo of yourself and share it with the world.

And while you’re doing that, surf around and see if you recognize a neighbor or a friend.

Click here to upload your picture.

And those are just the highlights.  For more information about what’s “Happening Here” at the University of Louisville, click here.

For The Love of . . .

. . . Louisville.

Louisville has started an online contest with Trazzler — a Web site that helps people answer the question “Where should I take a trip?” Unlike other trip advisor sites, Trazzler looks to promote the real and cool things that make a city unique. And who better to share the cool things about Louisville than people like you. (Insert gentle stroke of your ego.) Since it is a contest, there are prizes. Two nights at 21c Museum Hotel. $200 gift card for Louisville Originals, Actors Tickets and more…

This will take five minutes and you will feel like a better person when you are done.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. SIGN UP for Trazzler and provide a valid email address.
2. Click on WRITE A TRIP and fill out the required fields.
3. Select the Louisville Contest in the dropdown at the bottom of the final trip submission page.
4. On Facebook, become a fan of Louisville for news and chances to promote your trip.
5. Send this email to FIVE PEOPLE that you know love Louisville. Post it on your blog, twitter, facebook status, etc.
6. Get back in there and write another trip about Louisville, you know you want to!

Click here to see some of the great examples of what people have aready shared about Louisville.