Perhaps In Timely Metaphor, The Demolition of UK's Blanding/Kirwan Tower Dorm Complex Has Begun

I remember hanging out at Blanding with friends, during my college days at UK, being thankful I didn't have to live in those more modern, but crappy, fire-trap dorms. 

The 3-floor dorms that were part the B-K complex (at the bottom, of the photo, surrounding the actual towers) were bigger -  but God help you, if you were housed in the Freshman Death Towers. 

They were the smallest dorm rooms I've ever seen, at any college, anywhere - and a total fire hazard.  

The elevators were sooo slow and broke down frequently - but the BK Complex was only 20 years old, at the time!

The dorm rooms themselves were smaller than a 1-patient hospital room, with just room enough for a single bed and desk. 

Though the floor plan brochures and online  looked like this ...

This was the actual reality of living space ...

Can you imagine two 18-year-old girls trying to live in that space? 

And if one of the roommates was messy?  

God help the catfights that ensued lol. 

We all had to sit on the beds and eat pizza, but even that became too claustrophobic.  

There was one small communal area per floor - but only a certain amount were allowed in, or to stand in the halls -  so it was off to the Student Center or cafeteria or outside.

There was a momentary twinge of nostalgia upon learning this, but it was time - actually, appropriate metaphor, for personal reasons this week (and perhaps community, country, and globally, this week, too).

As much of a fan as I am of history - sometimes, it's necessary to dismantle romanticized, unrealistic, unstable, unsafe, unhealthy, shoddy constructs from our past completely - so that we can make way for  stronger,  safer, solid, sound constructs in the future

And it is sad -  but also necessary.



Note:  Despite this video showing demolition by explosives/implosion, that is NOT Blanding/Kirwan being demolished by implosion -it's the old Capitol Building in Frankfort, imploded in 2018.


They included the clip of the Frankfort building to demonstrate how much dust gets kicked up via implosion, which would be unwise during the time of COVID - so they choose dismantling demolition instead.