By Sarah Brookbank

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When the new Student Center opens in January 2018, students will be greeted with familiar old and new alike.

The university released a video Tuesday showing plans for the $175 million student center renovation.

John Herbst, executive director of the UK Student Center, said the university is exercising diligence in restoring and maintaining the history of the old building.

When the new building is opened, the façade of the original 1938 Student Center and of Alumni Gym will be joined by new additions like Blue Box Theater, senate chambers, a social staircase and a fitness complex.

“All the rod iron railings, bannister and gates were made by 3rd year engineering students,” Herbst said. “Those will be restored and remain in the facility.”

The original chandeliers along with a number of original pieces of furniture will be restored, Herbst said. The university will keep the furniture, which includes pre-WWII chairs, and hang up prints from the archives so students know they are a part of UK’s history.

The remodeled building will be 360,00 square feet, compared to the combined 200,020 square feet of the 1938 Student Center plus the 1963 and 1982 additions, Herbst said.

Unlike the old Student Center, the new Student Center will feature a workout center.

The two-level facility will retain the name Alumni Gym and will include mostly individual exercise equipment, Herbst said. Campus recreation will staff the new gym, which will include labs for individual consultations on health and exercise planning.

UK spokeswoman Sarah Geegan said dining options have not been confirmed, but — like with The 90 — the university will look to students for feedback.

Herbst said as the opening of the building draws closer, they will work more with students on dining and interior design options.

Another major addition to the new Student Center will be a 650-seat theater.

“Film distributers are saying we’re the top-five cinema programs in the United States,” Herbst said. “It will have state-of-the-art and cutting edge audio and video. We’re pulling out all the stops for that.”

Herbst said the area will also hold concerts and lectures, and that he thinks no other college campus will come close to having anything like it.