In Lexington, Kentucky, on the campus of the University of Kentucky, rests an abandoned stadium that holds decades' worth of history.
Cliff Hagan Stadium, better known as "The Cliff," saw its history come to a close in 2018. After a $4.2 million dollar renovation in 2002 to increase seating to over 3,000, The Cliff saw its final regular-season game played on Sunday, May 13th, 2018.
Photograph: WYMT
But, even Cliff Hagan himself couldn't stop the Mississippi State Bulldogs from upsetting the #17 Kentucky Wildcats, and send them out of The Cliff with a loss. The Bulldogs upset the Wildcats 18-8 during the final game at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Following the 2018 season, while construction was taking place at its nearby $49 million dollar replacement stadium, with a seating capacity of over 6,000, The Cliff was used by the University of Kentucky baseball team for Summer camps in the Summer of 2018. However, come 2019, the stadium was left and completely abandoned.
The stadium was abandoned and the field turned into weeds. The electricity was left on, so security cameras could monitor any activity within the abandoned stadium. With the electricity being left on, the clock in the middle of the scoreboard is the correct time of day. It's strange to see the field overgrown and the stadium left to crumble, yet the time on the clock is always correct.
The astroturf remains in place and looks very nice and clean compared to the rest of the overgrown field and grass areas. The University of Kentucky logo is the nicest part of the current field.
There is a rumor that the University of Kentucky is looking to demolish the stadium and build a brand new state-of-the-art tennis complex. But, no official word has been made clear, and no portion of the property has been prepped. In the meantime, "The Cliff" continues to decay and sit abandoned on the University of Kentucky campus.
Here are some other photographs we captured:
