10:15 AM EST on Friday, November 18, 2005

History is being made in Kentuckiana this weekend with the opening of the Muhammad Ali Center. There will be a gala Saturday night, the dedication Sunday and the grand opening to the public on Monday.

The building covers about 93,000 square feet.

It was actually Ali's fans that came up with the idea for a museum dedicated to the boxer, but Ali himself wanted instead a place where people could share their different beliefs and make the world a better place.

More online

Ali center web site

Construction began on the parking garage under the Ali Center in June of 2002. It holds 450 parking spaces. Construction began on the center in August 2004. The architect of the Ali Center considers it his crowning achievement.

Nearly every inch of the structure echoes Ali. There's the Olympic torch Ali carried in the 1996 event opening. There are butterfly's wings as in, "floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee." There are awe-inspiring murals around the top.

Close up, there are 8,000 ceramic blocks in random colors. As you back up hundreds and even better thousands of feet, they become pixels of Ali portraits. On one side, the boxer is doing the Ali shuffle and on the other, different faces of the "Louisville Lip."

Perhaps the clearest view is from across the Ohio River with Ali keeping watch over I-64.

Former president Bill Clinton, Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie, comedian Jim Carey and actress Ashley Judd will be on hand for the opening ceremony.

The world is coming to see the Ali Center, but does Kentuckiana care? In our exclusive news poll we asked 500 people in the Louisville area how interested they are in the Ali Center. Twenty percent said very, 29 percent said somewhat, 27 percent were not very interested and 24 percent were not at all interested.

Ali Center events continue through the weekend starting with Saturday's grand opening gala. That's when celebrities will pay tribute to Ali. They'll walk the red carpet at the Kentucky center to attend a private program at 8:30 p.m. in Whitney Hall.

You'll get your chance to pay tribute during the community celebration on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Riverfront Plaza.

The center will be officially open on Monday. The hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturdays and from noon to 5:00 on Sundays. Admission is $9.00.

------------------------------------------------

Architect tries to reflect boxer's images in design of Ali center

By BRUCE SCHREINER / Associated Press Writer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Architect Lee Skolnick took on a heavyweight assignment eight years ago -- create a building worthy of commemorating the life and ideals of Muhammad Ali.

Skolnick said he wanted the design to "tell this incredible story" -- of a man who grew up amid segregation and went on to boxing glory while becoming an outspoken voice during tumultuous times. Skolnick's vision is nearly complete near the Ohio River in Ali's hometown.

This weekend, a star-studded lineup including Bill Clinton, Jim Carrey and Angelina Jolie will gather to celebrate the opening of the Muhammad Ali Center. The center will promote Ali's humanitarian goals as well as relive his exploits as a three-time heavyweight boxing champion.

Now nearing completion, the Ali Center has become Skolnick's crowning achievement.

"There's been nothing that's been more important to me, including designing my own house," said Skolnick, whose New York City-based firm played a major role in the architectural and exhibit design of the 93,000-square-foot center.

Skolnick, in a recent phone interview, said famous images were incorporated into the design.

The roof was made to resemble a butterfly -- a reference to the champ's self-description of his boxing skills: "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

Part of the center looks like a giant torch, meant to evoke the image of Ali lighting the torch at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Ali also was a gold medalist at the 1960 Olympics.

Still, Ali didn't want to the center to be about him, Skolnick said.

"Muhammad, for all his bravado, is actually a very humble guy," Skolnick said.

Skolnick said he hopes the center inspires generations of visitors by promoting Ali's ideals to respect yourself and others and to stand up for your beliefs.

"What I'm after is for a child to go there, to be inspired by these rich stories that are part of Muhammad's life, and to come out thinking, 'It's not a far-fetched idea for me to achieve something great, on my own terms,"' Skolnick said.

For Skolnick, it was the assignment of a lifetime. He said the potential for creative expression for a project that can promote social good was "at an all-time high."

He dug into Ali's, and the country's, past to get a better feel for Ali's life and times.

Skolnick spent time visiting sports halls of fame and presidential libraries to see how they celebrated individual achievements. He spoke with people who lived in Louisville while Ali grew up to get a better sense of what life was like for a young black man in that era. He spoke with experts on the civil-rights movement, the Vietnam War, sports ethics and faith.

Skolnick also spent considerable time with Ali.

"He's the most fun person to be around," he said. "You just feel like there's no place else on earth you want to be when you're with him."

He also witnessed some "incredibly moving experiences" between Ali and his fans.

On the steps of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham, an older white man approached Ali saying, "Cassius Clay, you're Cassius Clay" -- Ali's name before his conversion to Islam, Skolnick recalled. The man said he had disagreed with Ali's refusal to serve in the military during the Vietnam War, a principle that cost Ali his heavyweight title.

The man went on to say that he now had a much different view of Ali. Ali was gracious and funny during the exchange, Skolnick said.

"I'm just standing there, melting, listening to this," Skolnick said. "It's like a story of our times, to see this evolution."

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)