Newport’s Carnegie Hall is undergoing some major renovations and is expected to reopen as an event space this October.
The space was built in 1898 on the corner of Fourth and Monmouth streets, funded by steel tycoon Andrew Carnegie; it was the city’s first public library and the first of 23 Carnegie libraries to open in Kentucky, according to Campbell County Public Library Communications Manager Stephanie Class.
Carnegie gave $20,000 to the project, which cost $25,000, and on June 25, 1902, the Carnegie Free Library opened its doors. In 1970, Class said the Campbell County Public Library purchased the building that was being operated as a city library and took over library operations.
In 2004, the Campbell County Public Library’s Newport branch opened, leaving the historic space open. Since then, the library has operated on and off as an event space.
Renovations on the building are expected to begin in the next few weeks, according to Chief Information Officer of DelightMore Bobby Woolwine.
Woolwine said that DelightMore, a Cincinnati-based event production and catering company, was approached about operating the space by the then owners, the Eliassen Group, and at first, he said they weren’t sure.
“We toured the venue and it just didn’t have the amenities that we needed to operate the venue correctly,” said Woolwine. However, DelightMore was looking for an event space in Northern Kentucky, and Woolwine had a special connection with the space being from Fort Mitchell plus, his first-ever job was as a dishwasher at Carnegie Hall, “it came full circle for me.”
After some discussion, DelightMore agreed to buy a majority stake in the building and to share the cost of what Woolwine said will be a multi-million dollar renovation to get the space up to the standard they needed.
Woolwine said they were drawn to Carnegie Hall because it’s an eclectic and historic space, similar to the other venues they operate, like The Transept in Cincinnati’s Over-The-Rhine neighborhood.
As a Northern Kentuckian, Woolwine said he’s happy to bring customers to the area “a fair amount of clients come from from NKY to spend money in Cincinnati for these type of places. And it just gonna be nice to be able to create that space for that market in Northern Kentucky.”
He said he is happy NKY is “getting the recognition it really deserves it’s got a rich cultural background.”
While the building is undergoing large renovations, Woolwine said it was in the best shape of any property they have ever taken ownership of. He compared it to The Transept, which he said didn’t have a roof and that you could see through the floors into the basement when they bought it.
“The exciting part of it is, we don’t feel like it needs this huge rip job. You know, it’s more accentuating the architectural detail,” said Woolwine.
The renovations include a two-story addition to the back of the building, including elevators, a plating kitchen on the first floor and a full commercial kitchen on the second. White oak flooring is being added throughout the first floor as well as a large bar. The patio is also getting a full renovation and the basement is being transformed into bridal and groom lounges complete with vanities, dressing rooms and lounge spaces.
Sales and design manager at DelightMore, Shelley Evans, who will be taking over operations at the site, said the acquisition and renovation of the space has been “an exciting journey.”
“Thankfully, our team is well-versed in venue renovations. Our aim is to revive the timeless charm of the building, while enhancing its functionality for events,” said Evans.
Evans has been showing clients around the pre-renovated space, and she said, “It can be a lot for clients to grasp from a simple 20×20 rendering.” However, she said they have all been really excited for the space to reopen.
“With a new kitchen, we can serve exceptional cuisine, and with a brand new bar, we will serve top-notch drinks,” said Evans.
Renovations are expected to be complete by Oct. 1, according to Woolwine with the group hosting an open house on the 3rd, and the first client event is a wedding set for Oct. 12.
Scroll through the see renderings of the space:
