Northern Kentucky-based artist Christian Dallas took around two months to finish his latest mural at Ovation, a $1 billion mixed-use development at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers in Newport.
The mural features a woman in a sun hat rowing a boat down a stream. Her boat is surrounded by flowers that Dallas said symbolize the spring weather, like goldenrod and pink lilies.
“She’s supposed to represent Mother Nature delivering spring,” Dallas told LINK nky.
Dallas was commissioned by Corporex, a Covington-based real estate developer and the firm behind Ovation, to paint four murals throughout the site. His mural is just one part of a four-part mural set that will adorn the walls of various elements of Ovation. Dallas wanted to pair each of the four seasons with a corresponding element that represents the season: spring and water, summer and fire, fall and earth and winter and wind.
The purpose? To christen Ovation with artwork that Dallas said invokes feelings of positivity amidst the ongoing construction.
“It breathes life into the development,” Dallas said. “Architecture and concrete and all the construction process — that can get cold sometimes, and to bring a piece of art into the community, it breathes life into it and gives it a sense of purpose.”
Dallas’ paintings are some of several unique features at Ovation. The large-scale construction project first broke ground in 2019. In the fall of 2021, the first significant portion of the development opened: MegaCorp Pavilion — a 10,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor concert venue.
Last August, Corporex opened Ovation Office 1, a 100,000-square-foot five-story office building. According to Corporex, the building is already 60% leased, with the logistics brokerage MegaCorp and St. Elizabeth Healthcare each occupying three of its five floors.
This year, the most recent visible progress on the project’s Homewood Suites Hotel, two of its three Boardwalk Residences buildings and Ovation’s signature boardwalk are all nearing completion.
On Wednesday, Aug. 15, LINK nky toured the development, getting updates on the development’s construction progress.
The Boardwalk Residences
The Boardwalk Residence is the first residential area being developed as part of Ovation. The residences comprise three buildings consisting of 88 individual units boasting unobstructed views of the Cincinnati skyline.
As its title suggests, The Boardwalk Residences have direct access to a 1,500-foot wooden boardwalk along the Licking River levee.
Inside each unit, future residents have access to secured parking, direct elevator access to their home, and a private balcony with a riverfront view.
“That’s the name of the game here – it’s convenience, it’s connectivity, it’s accessibility,” said Corporex Vice President of Marketing Suzanne Deatherage.
Two of the three buildings are currently under construction. The exteriors are nearly complete, with each balcony already finished. Contractors are now completing the interiors. Many of the unit layouts have already taken shape.
Buildings 2 and 3 are estimated to be completed by the end of 2024. Construction of building 1 is expected to kick off by year’s end. Fort Mitchell-based Paul Hemmer Construction was tapped as the primary contractor.
So far, 72% of the individual units, or 63 units, have been sold, according to Deatherage. Twenty-five of the remaining units have penthouse views.
Boardwalk
Once completed, the boardwalk will connect pedestrians to The Boardwalk Residences and countless restaurants that will line the street level.
The boardwalk also borders General James Taylor Park, which sits on the banks of the Ohio River. The park is set to get $17 million of upgrades in the coming years, adding another attraction to the area around Ovation,
Deatherage told LINK nky that the most essential aspect of the boardwalk is connectivity.
“It’s all a seamless experience for the general public,” she said. “This is not just for the people that live here.”
Homewood Suites
Set to open at the end of 2024, the Homewood Suites by Hilton is one of Ovation’s primary overnight options for tourists.
“Right now, we’re finishing the hotel and The Boardwalk Residences,” Deatherage said.
The 133-room hotel will feature two bars, one on the plaza level and another on the rooftop. Commonwealth Hotels, based in Covington, will manage it.
