To see how committed rehabbers can turn historic buildings into exciting modern uses, check out Covington’s winners in the annual River Cities Excellence in Preservation Awards program.
The rehab of the building at 27-41 W. Eighth St., which used to house H. Johnson Moving & Storage but now is home to Road ID and Libby’s Southern Comfort restaurant, won in the Exterior Restoration-Commercial category (provided photos).
Five projects – and two people – were among those honored at a May 22 ceremony in Newport for work completed over the past year that demonstrated outstanding efforts to preserve, maintain, fix up, and reuse a historic property.
Projects from Newport, and Bellevue were also honored.
For a complete list of winners, click here.
“It was tough to pick only seven recipients,” said Christopher Myers, Covington’s Preservation and Planning Specialist. “Countless preservation heroes and heroines in our city lovingly care for cherished places every day. Our city would quickly lose its incredible sense of place if it weren’t for all of them.”
The rehab of 621 Garrard St. won in the Rehabilitation-Residential category.
Covington’s five project winners, and the category in which they won:
• Orleans Development, the Catalytic Fund, and the City of Covington, in the Exterior Restoration-Mixed Use category, for the Bradford Building at 326-336 Scott St.
• Road ID and Hub+Weber Architects, in the Exterior Restoration-Commercial category, for the H. Johnson Building/Road ID at 27-41 W. Eighth St.
• Todd McMurtry, Maria C. Garriga, and EGC Construction, in the Rehabilitation-Residential category, for 621 Garrard St.
The rehab of the building at 31-33 W. Pike St., which now houses Grainwell Market, won in the Rehabilitation-Mixed Use/Commercial category.
• Tobin Gardner, in the Rehabilitation-Mixed Use/Commercial category, for 31-33 W. Pike St.
• Nathan Chambers, Joseph Calhoun, Todd Burns, and Roger Benson, in the Rehabilitation-Mixed Use/Commercial category, for 39-41 W. Pike St.
Winners received an engraved glass plaque adorned with a picture of their project at the ceremony, which comes at the end of National Preservation Month.
Two well-known champions of preservation also received awards:
• Lisa Sauer was presented theStewardship Award, which recognizes individuals or organizations with long-term dedication to the preservation of a community or of a property, for her work with Progress with Preservation. Founded in 2006, Progress with Preservation worked with elected officials, developers, property owners, and individuals across Covington to champion preservation causes. Its work included improving legislation on behalf of preservation causes, publishing studies on historic materials and areas, and raising awareness of endangered buildings.
The rehab of the Bradford on Scott building at 326-336 Scott St. won in the Exterior Restoration-Mixed Use category.
• Victor Canfield was presented the Karen & Peter Rafuse Memorial Award, which was created to honor and celebrate individual dedication to the preservation of Covington’s architectural and cultural heritage. Canfield helped pioneer local preservation efforts in the 1970s, helped implementing the Historic Covington Design Guidelines, and served for 37 years on the City’s Urban Design Review Board.
Myers said Covington has gained tremendous improvements in quality of life and place because of the award recipients’ investments of time, money, talent, and sweat.
“There is so much energy and vibrancy pouring out of Covington’s charming streets and neighborhoods. Covingtonians and regional groups are discovering more and more corners of our city that are ripe for investment,” Myers said. “Our city’s renaissance continues through the sacrifices and investments the award recipients placed.”
City of Covington
Feature photo: The rehab of the building at 39-41 W. Pike St., which now houses Peppe Cucina deli and restaurant, also won in the Rehabilitation-Mixed Use/Commercial category.
