It’s early evening in MainStrasse, the old German village that’s part of Covington, KY. Gnarled sycamores cast shadows on sturdy brick buildings as the streetlamps flicker on. Couples emerge from Italianate town houses for a stroll and maybe a quick stop at a nearby café.
It feels like the 19th century, until a glance down a long brick alleyway unexpectedly reveals glass-sheathed office towers and a pair of postmodern stadiums across the Ohio River in Cincinnati. A 140-year-old suspension bridge spanning the muddy river stands as inspiration to a construction crane racing to finish a curving condominium tower designed by Daniel Libeskind, the architect best known for his modern work redesigning Ground Zero.
That’s Covington today, one foot firmly planted in the 19th century, the other striding confidently into the 21st. “We have a motto here in Covington,” says Mayor Irvin “Butch” Callery, “‘It’s happening!’” And unlike many trite PR blurbs, that rallying cry accurately describes a city’s rebirth—one that blends historic houses and cutting-edge architecture, as well as a lively restaurant, entertainment and arts scene.
Covington traces its roots back to pioneer days. But it wasn’t until the 1850s that this southern trading center boomed with the arrival of thousands of German immigrants. Their influence can still be seen in the city’s Teutonic brick architecture: tall burgher houses, imposing breweries and church steeples. Many of the newcomers settled in MainStrasse Village, now a national historic district in the middle of Covington with one of America’s greatest concentrations of mid-19th-century buildings. A quiet park in the village’s west end is home to the 100-foot-tall Carroll Chimes Bell Tower. Continuing the Germanic theme, a sculptural bronze fountain based on the Brothers Grimm story “The Goose Girl” sits in the village center. It shows a girl in midstride clutching two geese with flapping wings and water spewing from their open beaks.
After wandering the historic streets and checking out the shops, head to the Cock & Bull English Pub, where you’ll find a friendly crew and a great selection of imported beers on tap. “The Reissdorf Kolsch is one of our big sellers—only eight bars in the country offer it,” bartender Brandt Trabel says while serving up a glass of the bright, hoppy brew. Kitty-corner at Chez Nora, the drinks can be matched with savory appetizers like plump crab cakes in a piquant rémoulade sauce. Steps away, the New Orleans-inspired Dee Felice Café serves up gumbo and blackened scallops accompanied by Dixieland jazz.
On the other side of town, the iconic Roebling suspension bridge stretches to Cincinnati. At the foot of the bridge, Libeskind’s new condominium tower, Ascent at Roebling Bridge, is slowly rising. By November, 2007, it will curl 21 stories into the air, with a sloping glass roof that echoes the bridge’s cables. Prices for remaining units start at $789,000 and move quickly upwards to $5.2 million. “The Libeskind building, by its location, orientation, animation and configuration, will be the most dominant structure on the northern Kentucky shore,” says retired University of Cincinnati architecture professor David Niland. “It will become the symbol of northern Kentucky.”
Ascent is only part of a larger boom in Covington’s Riverside neighborhood, where the imposing cornices of Italianate houses snuggle up to cozy Craftsman bungalows and haughty, mansard-roofed Second Empire mansions. Professionals have flocked to this area, just across the river from Cincinnati’s business district, and good restaurants have followed. Renowned Cincinnati chef Jean-Robert de Caval expanded his culinary reach by opening the Greenup Café here last summer. “With Libeskind’s new building and the Roebling Bridge,” says Caval, “this area is amazing.” Situated in a historic brick row house near the bridge, the restaurant hums with French colors (pistachio, lime and ochre yellow), and the food leans towards bistro flavors: classic vichyssoise, plump crepes filled with seafood and spinach in a creamy béchamel sauce.
The nearby Pike Street area has a film-noir feel that recalls the paintings of Edward Hopper. Appropriately enough, artists have discovered the period buildings, transforming the area into the Covington Arts District. The popular First Friday Gallery Hops bring visitors to more than 30 studios, gift shops and restaurants displaying the work of dozens of artists in Covington and the nearby communities of Newport and Bellevue.
It was this thriving arts scene that drew Rick Hoffman, a professional potter. “I’m working to help make Covington’s identity funkier, more bohemian,” he says. “This town is very exciting right now—it’s in a renaissance.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Go to mainstrasse.org and staynky.com.
EAT
Cock & Bull
601 Main St.; 859-581-4253; lunch for two, $19*
Chez Nora
530 Main St.; 859-491-8027; lunch for two, $24
Dee Felice Café
529 Main St.; 859-261-2365; dinner for two, $44
Greenup Café
308 Greenup St.; 859-261-3663; lunch for two, $30
Anchor Café
438 W. Pike St.; 859-431-9498; breakfast for two, $11
*Price cover a meal for two not including drinks, tax or tip.
STAY
Amos Shinkle Townhouse
215 Garrard St.; 859-431-2118; amosshinkle.net; doubles from $95
Embassy Suites
10 E. Rivercenter Blvd.; 859-261-8400; embassysuitesrivercenter.com; doubles from $170
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.