COVINGTON, Ky. – It was once home to local government offices and even jail cells. Now anyone can move in to 303 Court Street in Covington, and they don’t even have to commit a crime.
In fact, the views from the apartments in the newly renovated “Hayden” building are some of the best northern Kentucky has to offer.
The building looked much different in April 2021.
It’s been a long journey for developer Urban Sites and contractor Al Neyer.
“We skinned the original building down to the concrete frame, and put forth a great product and a building that will help the neighborhood,” said Urban Sites Chief Development Officer Danny Lipson.
The Hayden’s first tenants started moving in this past weekend. Lipson said about half of the 133 units, which range from $1,000 to $3,000 in monthly rent, have been pre-leased. Studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and two-bedroom plus units are all still available.
It’s located directly across from the Roebling Bridge, allowing for a quick walk across the Ohio River to Cincinnati.
“We always enjoy the history of a neighborhood. The Roebling Point neighborhood is a fantastic neighborhood. This building, because of its location, has insane views,” Lipson said.
The building offers all the latest amenities, such as a gym, bike storage room, Amazon package lockers, a lounge area and shared office space. Apartment units feature large floor to ceiling windows, and large balconies.
Perhaps what separates it from other apartment buildings, though, is its history.
It was once the Kenton County and city of Covington government building. And from the early 1970s into the 2000s, the building’s top four floors served as the county jail. While the view from those floors is a lot nicer now, Covington Mayor Joseph Meyer said he thinks that history is a selling point.
“It’s just stunning,” Meyer said. “The history of these buildings, and the uses they’ve experienced in the past, is part of the charm of being here. This isn’t the same old, same old. You’ve got context. Being in a building that was built for one particular purpose, and then went through this remarkable transformation into another use with incredible views and great living arrangements is worth bragging about.”
They Hayden is also part of a wave of new development that’s been washing over Covington in recent years.
“It’s really indicative of what’s going on throughout the city. And you see it all right there in that one building,” Meyer said. “We haven’t hit our peak yet. We’re still moving forward. There’s still a lot of activity in the planning processes.”
Lipson said he and his team are happy to ride that wave.
“And we really hope that by adding a little more retail, and some more residents in the area, that we’re contributing to its continued growth,” he said.
The building’s ground floor retail space has not yet been filled.