Around 100 years ago, National Colortype Company built a factory in Bellevue. They manufactured signs and signals for roads and many of their employees lived in cute houses close to the factory. That building is still there, surrounded by its charming neighborhood, and is now filling up with new residents who love its industrial chic style in the middle of walkable, historic Bellevue.
Kent Lofts, as it is now called, offers studio, one and two-bedroom apartments, many with lofted spaces that take advantage of the huge windows and high ceilings. In this week’s episode of Beyond the Curb: River City Living, two of the units are featured: a two-bedroom and a one-bedroom with a loft.
Tony Kreutzjans, owner of Orleans Development and one of the partners on the project, was inspired by the building the first time he toured it. “I love the soaring skylights on the third and fourth floors and all the windows,” he said. “They create so much volume and light.”
Living room
The sturdy construction of the building also appealed to Kreutzjans. He explained that the concrete floors not only provide fire safety, they also make the apartments very quiet. When designing the public spaces, his team decided to highlight some of the chipping paint and weathered brick, now nicely offset by modern light fixtures, as part of the industrial look.
The residents of Kent Lofts share two stylish common areas, the first-floor lounge and the outdoor courtyard. Other amenities include secure parking, reservable guest suite, fitness room and storage units for each apartment. Bellevue itself is also an amenity, according to Kreutzjans, who knows his tenants enjoy the restaurants, bars and one-of-a-kind shops on Fairfield Avenue. “It’s an urban Mayberry,” he said.
New episodes of the Catalytic Fund’s Beyond the Curb: River City Living series come out every Friday. All the episodes can be seen here.
The Catalytic Fund is a private sector, not-for-profit organization that provides financing assistance and related services for developers of quality residential and commercial real estate projects in Northern Kentucky’s urban cities of Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Bellevue, and Dayton. Its mission is to accelerate Northern Kentucky’s urban renaissance through targeted investments in catalytic real estate development projects in urban neighborhoods.
Loft – Kitchen and bedroom
Kitchen
Living room
