Memorial Hall (University of Kentucky)

Memorial Hall is a prominent building on the campus of the University of Kentucky. Built in 1929 as a memorial to those who died in World War I, it is used for lectures and performances, and also serves as a site for graduation ceremonies of some colleges within the university. It is located on central campus at the end of Funkhouser Drive.

The building is a symbol of the university, often used in promotions and advertising. Its clock tower is known for being featured in the UK logo, between the U and the K. The Memorial Hall features cases within its traverse central hall that hold the names of students that served in the World Wars from all the Kentucky counties.

The lobby of Memorial Hall features a fresco completed in 1934 by Lexington artist Ann Rice O'Hanlon. The fresco, which is one of the few of its size and scale in the United States, depicts the history of Lexington and central Kentucky from settler times through the 19th century. O'Hanlon received a grant through the Works Progress Administration for the completion of its project, and worked on it for months. The fresco has been the recipient of controversy over its racial depictions, and O'Hanlon herself later expressed regret at some of the ways she depicted Lexington.