The public is getting an updated look at the ongoing expansion and renovation of the Kentucky Exposition Center and clarity on when its first new building will open.
Attendees of this year’s 121st Kentucky State Fair have likely noticed construction equipment and fencing on the northern side of the expo center, 937 Phillips Lane.
This $180 million first phase of redevelopment will add a new 350,000-square-foot multi-purpose facility that will host livestock competitions, equine events, sports tournaments, trade shows and conventions.
A rendering of the main entrance of a new 350,000-square-foot multi-purpose building at the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is set to be completed by the end of 2026.
Kentucky Venues is anticipating getting the keys to the new building on Dec. 31, 2026, it said in a Aug. 21 news release, and in 2027, the site will welcome its first major events.
Newmarket Hall, formerly home to livestock sales, was razed earlier this year to make room for the new building, which will be about the size of six football fields.
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It will be located east of Broadbent Arena and north of the West Wing and contain the center’s biggest Class A exhibit hall along with dedicated bathrooms, a milking parlor suite, food services areas and flexible meeting spaces.
One year after the project kicked off with a ceremonial groundbreaking at the 2024 Kentucky State Fair, officials with Kentucky Venues unveiled new renderings Aug. 21 of the building, giving the public new interior views of the project.
“These improvements go far beyond bricks and mortar; they are an investment in Kentucky’s future,” Kentucky Venues President and CEO David Beck said in the release. “They open doors for farmers, businesses, athletes, and families, while solidifying the Commonwealth’s role as a national leader in agriculture, events, and tourism.”
A rendering of a trade show in the new exposition hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center, set to be completed by the end of 2026.
Kentucky Venues has also refined the timeline for its second major phase of redevelopment.
A $213 million second phase will add nearly 250,000 square feet of interconnected exhibit space, lobbies and meeting rooms to the West Wing, West Hall and Pavilion areas and 40,000 square feet of upgraded food and beverage operations in the South Wing.
Construction is expected to last 18-24 months, Kentucky Venues noted in the release, and will follow the completion of the first phase.
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The overall $460-plus million modernization project will span years and is the largest such undertaking in the history of Kentucky Venues, which is governed by the Kentucky State Fair Board and is the public agency that operates both the exposition center and the Kentucky International Convention Center at 221 S. Fourth St. in downtown Louisville.
Crews have begun demolishing structures and clearing debris at The Kentucky Exposition Center during Phase 1 of a $400 million expansion and renovation project. May 6, 2025.
The expansion plans for the Kentucky Exposition Center, which opened in 1956, would take it from being the sixth-largest convention center in the country to the fifth.
It hosts the annual Kentucky State Fair as well as the National Farm Machinery Show and the North American International Livestock Exposition, among many other trade shows, competitions and events.
Visitors may also notice the newly rebuilt Gate 4, off Crittenden Drive, which has added traffic lanes, digital signage, pedestrian space and now has the most on-site queuing capacity of any of the venue’s entrances.
A rendering shows the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville as it’s expected to appear after the first phase of an overall $393 million renovation, which kicks off in 2025.
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Gate 2 is next on the renovation schedule and should see work begin before year’s end.
Kentucky Venues also recently razed the former bowling alley at 911 Phillips Lane, on property it had formerly leased, to use as a 300,000-square-foot flex space for parking and events.
Following a proposal by Kentucky Venues that outlined an estimated $710 million three-phase redevelopment master plan, the Kentucky General Assembly allocated an initial $200 million to the renovation project in 2022, enabling the first phase of the project.
A rendering of a livestock exposition in the new exposition hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center, set to be completed by the end of 2026.
Reach growth and development reporter Matthew Glowicki at mglowicki@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4000.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Opening timeline set for $180M first expansion at Kentucky Expo Center
Kentucky Exposition Center, Kentucky State Fair, Phillips Lane, Kentucky
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