Keen Johnson

Keen Johnson's Top Hat

Keen Johnson's top hat, ca. 1935.

The clock tower peeks above the trees, a proud symbol of the campus. The double chimneys and tall windows come into view as you journey closer. If you step into this building, you are swept into a past of fabulous décor, marble floors, and art-deco style. We know this is the Keen Johnson Building, but who was Keen Johnson, anyway? He was a governor of Kentucky from 1939 to 1943, and he served on the Board of Regents, too, from 1936 to 1946 and 1954 to 1958. This top hat crowned Keen Johnson’s head, just as the Keen Johnson Building is the crown of EKU.