Preview
Creation Date
1967
Description
Date Built
- North Wing 1960, razed Jan. 2015
- Central Wing 1967
Dedicated - Oct. 14, 1967
Cost of Construction
- North Wing $1,167,471
Architects -
Namesake: Kelly Thompson was born in Lebanon, Kentucky on January 28, 1909. He came to Western in the fall of 1928 on a football scholarship and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Thompson spent his early career at WKU as college representative and publicity director. During World War II he served in the Navy, after which he returned to campus to work as an assistant to E.A. Diddle and President Paul Garrett. [Harrison, pp. 139-143]
During his tenure as president, Thompson oversaw a steady increase in student population which resulted in the construction of new buildings and WKU gained university status in 1966. He stepped down in 1969 and later went on to serve as president of the College Heights Foundation. Thompson died August 14, 1993.
Building History - The north wing was built in 1960 as the Kelly Thompson Science Hall. In 1967 the central wing was built and both buildings were know as the Thompson Complex. The north wing was closed in 2013 due to malfunctioning heating & air conditioning systems and other infrastructure issues. In 2015 the north wing was razed to make way for the new Ogden Hall. The Kentucky General Assembly appropriated $6 million which was used to renovate the central wing.
Keywords
Western Kentucky University