LOUISVILLE, Ky. - An aging colonnade creaked under the weight of a claw-like wrecker and then crashed in a heap Friday, signaling the start of the second phase of $121 million in renovations at Churchill Downs.
The construction will give a facelift to the 129-year-old track, upgrading everything from Millionaire's Row, where the rich and famous hobnob at the Kentucky Derby, to the kitchen and dining rooms.
With a riverboat casino docked a short distance away on the Indiana side of the Ohio River, Churchill officials hope the improvements will put the horse track ahead of the pack in competing for gambling dollars.
The colonnade dated back to 1924, but within a few minutes of demolition all that was left were long piles of age-worn wood.
"There have been a countless number of fans and dignitaries that have walked through that gate and under that walkway on their way into the racetrack and their seats," track spokesman John Asher said. "It's seen a lot of Derby history, like any section of this racetrack."
The $95 million second phase of renovations will include a new and expanded Turf Club and a new Skye Terrace, home to Millionaire's Row.
The track will add dining rooms, kitchens and a new press box along with simulcast facilities, where fans bet on races at other tracks.
The demolition work is scheduled to be finished in September, well before the start of the track's fall meet in late October.
The $26 million first phase, scheduled for completion in September, added dozens of luxury suites atop the grandstands and refurbished the famed Twin Spires, a picturesque backdrop to the track.
A clubhouse section near the spires will be razed and rebuilt during the second phase, but the spires won't be touched.
"Those spires are sacred," Asher said. "It's the heart and soul of our company."
The renovations are scheduled to be completed by early 2005.
© 2003 The Associated Press
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44359-2003Jul11.html
The construction will give a facelift to the 129-year-old track, upgrading everything from Millionaire's Row, where the rich and famous hobnob at the Kentucky Derby, to the kitchen and dining rooms.
With a riverboat casino docked a short distance away on the Indiana side of the Ohio River, Churchill officials hope the improvements will put the horse track ahead of the pack in competing for gambling dollars.
The colonnade dated back to 1924, but within a few minutes of demolition all that was left were long piles of age-worn wood.
"There have been a countless number of fans and dignitaries that have walked through that gate and under that walkway on their way into the racetrack and their seats," track spokesman John Asher said. "It's seen a lot of Derby history, like any section of this racetrack."
The $95 million second phase of renovations will include a new and expanded Turf Club and a new Skye Terrace, home to Millionaire's Row.
The track will add dining rooms, kitchens and a new press box along with simulcast facilities, where fans bet on races at other tracks.
The demolition work is scheduled to be finished in September, well before the start of the track's fall meet in late October.
The $26 million first phase, scheduled for completion in September, added dozens of luxury suites atop the grandstands and refurbished the famed Twin Spires, a picturesque backdrop to the track.
A clubhouse section near the spires will be razed and rebuilt during the second phase, but the spires won't be touched.
"Those spires are sacred," Asher said. "It's the heart and soul of our company."
The renovations are scheduled to be completed by early 2005.
© 2003 The Associated Press
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44359-2003Jul11.html
