A rendering of the proposed arts complex.

University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky has received a $150 million gift —the largest in the institution’s history—to create a new home for the arts on the Lexington campus.

The donation comes from the Bill Gatton Foundation , established by the late Carol Martin “Bill” Gatton, a 1954 alumnus who bought a chain of car dealerships and then invested his earnings in banking and real estate. Gatton and his foundation, which supports community, health care and education, have already donated more than $200 million to UK, including for the agriculture college, the business college, the student center and scholarship programs.

The latest gift will help fund the construction of a new College of Fine Arts building and a theater that holds

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