Jefferson Community and Technical College has finished the second phase of a sweeping, $90 million campaign to remake its downtown Louisville campus, adding a new science building and a park-like green space. The completed work includes the 40,000-square-foot Center for Science and Discovery, while the broader initiative also includes a more-than-500-space parking structure and the Republic Bank Foundation College Green.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg celebrated the milestone in a post on X, saying the city is “proud to celebrate the completion of Phase II of Jefferson Rising,” a project he said will help connect more students to careers and strengthen the region's workforce. Greenberg's post, shared via Mayor Craig Greenberg
, framed the additions as a boost to downtown momentum. The broader Jefferson Rising initiative represents a $90 million total investment aimed at modernizing the campus and anchoring central city revitalization, according to
JCTC
.
New Science Building Opens Downtown
The Center for Science and Discovery, located at 640 S. First St., is part of the completed Phase II project. The facility spans 40,000 square feet and features laboratories and classrooms. The project also received philanthropic funding, as reported by Building Kentucky. The account also described philanthropic support for the project.
JCTC's Foundation also launched a $9.5 million public capital campaign tied to Jefferson Rising, aimed at securing naming rights for classrooms, laboratories and gathering spaces. The campaign followed $8.5 million already raised in private donations before the public push began, the college has said. That fundraising strategy underscores how much of the project's financing has leaned on donor support layered atop public dollars.
Parking Garage and Green Space Reshape West Broadway
The broader project includes a four-level structure with more than 500 parking spaces and the Republic Bank Foundation College Green, which includes an outdoor classroom and more than 50 new trees, according to WHAS11. The green space is another component of the project. The project also draws on public funding.
As part of its broader campus master plan, JCTC is also removing the existing Hartford Hall Tower and clearing a central surface parking lot between First and Second streets to create a continuous campus quad. Demolishing the older high-rise infrastructure is intended to consolidate green space and improve accessibility across the campus footprint.
Part of a Larger Downtown Investment Push
JCTC's expansion sits inside the 22-square-block Louisville Medical and Education District, known as LOUMED, where member institutions employ 18,000 people and are collectively investing more than $560 million in downtown capital projects, according to UofL News. LOUMED's partners include JCTC, the University of Louisville, UofL Health and Norton Healthcare, positioning the college's campus overhaul as one piece of a much larger regional health and education investment hub.
The science and green space additions follow other JCTC capital investments. JCTC's broader capital investments extend beyond the science and green space additions.
