KFC Yum! Center

Early arena planning focused on two potential arena sites: one owned by the Louisville Water Company bounded by Liberty Street, Muhammad Ali Blvd, 2nd and 3rd Streets, and one owned by Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) on the waterfront between 2nd and 3rd Streets on Main.^[17] In March 2006, University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino stated he would not coach in an arena built at the water company site.^[18] This came at a time when the House budget committee earmarked funding for the arena only if it was built at the water company site. Others, including Papa John's Pizza founder John Schnatter, a major donor to the U of L athletic program, criticized the LG&E location due to its higher cost.


On March 10, 2006, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher announced at a Louisville Arena Unity Rally that the location of the new arena would be at the LG&E site along the riverfront to maximize profits.^[19] The unexpected visit was supported by Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson.


One month later on April 23, 2006, the Louisville Arena Authority released the design for the interior.^[9] The number of seats increased from the original 19,000 to 22,000; it would be divided up between 11,348 seats in the lower bowl, with the remainder on the upper tier. The seat width also increased from 19 to 20 inches. Also included in the release was a proposed sports bar that would be located on the main concourse; it would be open year-round and have views of the Ohio River. The number of suites would increase to 72 that would be located on two levels between the main and upper concourses; they would be twice as large as those in Freedom Hall. A public plaza and concourse along Main Street was also revealed.^[9]


Prior to the release of the design, an arena report urged the facility to incorporate energy-saving elements into the construction.^[20] Other recommendations included the avoidance of large, blank walls, the inclusion of public art, and the provision of year-round uses inside the building.


On May 21, 2007, the Louisville Arena Authority voted unanimously to remove a hotel from the arena project.^[8] The 425-room hotel, which was envisioned as one way to pay off the project, was deleted because other revenues to cover the $252 million construction cost were projected to be higher than expected. The hotel would have also taken land away from a public plaza along Main Street. The Greater Louisville Hotel and Lodging Association also supported the measure, stating that downtown Louisville had enough projected rooms.^[8]


The hotel was expected to contribute $1.3 million in annual lease payments, but other sources of revenue were hoped to cover the $573 million in total debt over 30 years on a $339 million bond issue for the arena. Originally, the Kentucky Finance Cabinet projected $211 million in new tax revenues in 2005.^[8] A more recent and comprehensive survey was completed recently and the projected revenue increased to $265 million. The other sources of revenue to cover the deletion of the hotel include:^[8]


The removal of the hotel would allow for a wider Main Street plaza and would allow for new features, such as a Washington Street entrance.^[8] It would also allow for more design flexibility and would lend itself to host after-hour concerts and other events on the plaza.


On April 19, 2010, it was announced that Louisville-based fast food chain Yum! Brands would pay $13.5 million for the naming rights^[21] and would sell the products of three of its chains—KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell—in seven concession stands within the arena.^[7]

Controversy[edit]

The Task Force meetings were not without controversy. At first, task force member and University of Louisville athletics director Tom Jurich, along with University of Louisville president James Ramsey and Task Force member John Schnatter (founder of Papa John's Pizza), were ardently opposed to a downtown site and supported instead a campus arena, or a new arena built near Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Jurich and Ramsey would later support the waterfront site. Schnatter, joined by fellow task force member and Humana co-founder David Jones, strongly supported a new arena at the water company site, located four blocks down 2nd Street, or the Exposition Center, which was the cheapest option. They paid over $200,000 for a study that showed the water company site would be much less expensive than the riverfront site. However, the two dropped their lobbying effort after it did not seem to change the minds of the rest of the task force.^[25]