| The main campus at the University of Louisville is | | | | orphanage still stand) is about three miles south of |
| known as the Belknap Campus. While the University | | | | the downtown area of Louisville. Over the past |
| of Louisville (also commonly referred to as U of L) is | | | | fifteen years projects have consistently been |
| a 20,000 student public institution of higher learning | | | | underway to develop and expand the area around |
| that was established in 1798 the main campus of | | | | the Belknap Campus. This process has predominately |
| today was not acquired until sometime later in 1923. | | | | been facilitated by the university purchasing land |
| Whereas many colleges and universities share names | | | | surrounding the main campus with much of that area |
| with the states they reside in (University of | | | | being made up of abandoned factories. |
| Kentucky, University of Kansas, etc.) the University | | | | During the recent expansion the 56,000 seat Papa |
| of Louisville is part of a much smaller subset that | | | | John's Cardinal Stadium was built for the football |
| takes its name from the city the school is housed in. | | | | team at a cost of $63 million. Additional notable |
| While there are a handful of universities with titles | | | | projects resulting from the expansion of the Belknap |
| tied to the cities these schools are connected to | | | | Campus include the Jim Patterson Stadium (2,500 |
| most are private institutions (University of Miami, | | | | seat - $10 million cost) which hosts University of |
| Saint Louis University, etc.). The University of | | | | Louisville baseball games, the building of the Trager |
| Louisville has the noteworthy honor of being the first | | | | Center field house, new track facility, soccer fields, a |
| instance of a public university in America being city | | | | tennis center, and new student housing that includes |
| owned. The historic nature of U of L goes far | | | | Minardi Hall, Kurz Hall, and the Bettie Johnson |
| beyond the conditions surrounding its formation and | | | | Apartments. |
| contains such claims as the first US emergency room | | | | Rounding out the cultural fair of the Belknap Campus |
| (ER), first ambulance service for non-military | | | | area are museums and similar points of interest. The |
| personnel, and one of the first blood banks in | | | | Hite Art Institute and Rauch Planetarium are popular |
| America. | | | | on campus spots as is the equally popular Speed Art |
| The U of L facilities as they currently exist are | | | | Museum (amongst the biggest and oldest art |
| divided into three campuses which are known as the | | | | museums in Kentucky) which is located right off |
| (1) Belknap Campus (main campus), (2) Health | | | | campus and receives 180,000 guests a year. |
| Sciences Campus (medical campus), and (3) Shelby | | | | As time passes the University of Louisville continues |
| Campus (currently the night school campus). While | | | | to evolve from its humble eighteenth century |
| each campus contributes to the unique cultural | | | | beginnings. As recently as 2008 85 additional acres |
| landscape of the university the focus of this article | | | | off the Belknap Campus were purchased with |
| will be contained to discussion of the main campus or | | | | preliminary plans earmarking the land for student |
| Belknap Campus. | | | | housing, parking, and conversion of historical buildings |
| If a U of L student asks someone to meet them on | | | | for practical modern use. With each passing year a |
| campus the odds on favorite spot for that | | | | group of University of Louisville students say |
| rendezvous is the Belknap Campus where a majority | | | | goodbye to the Belknap Campus and a new batch of |
| of the academic colleges are housed. The main | | | | wide eyed freshmen arrive to the spot where they |
| campus that was interestingly once the spot of an | | | | will form lifetime lasting memories. |
| orphanage (many original buildings from the | | | | |