warehouse

An amazing property just hit the residential real estate market in Northern Kentucky — but you may not know if you were just looking from the outside.

In downtown Covington, on Ninth Street just off Madison Avenue, surrounded by commercial buildings and businesses, sits a warehouse at the end of the narrow road. The first floor is a garage that can fit six vehicles, but then on the second floor is a fully renovated urban-style loft that is out of this world.

And it’s for sale.

“For me, it was a real easy choice. It had the parking and it had the light,” said owner Robert Behan about the first time he walked in while looking for a renovation project. Having lived in San Francisco, he knew what could be done with such a building. But this warehouse, built in the 1940’s, had never been residential. Its previous owner used it as storage for materials related to other businesses and properties.

The windows that filled the spacious loft with light from 360 degrees, however, helped Behan visualize the building as a possible home.

That was 2007, and now eight years later, his work is complete. “I got to the point where I asked myself, is this where I want to live? What else do I want to see here?,” he said. His personal vision would likely take him another three years of work, as he does his renovation on the side. “Why not turn it over to somebody who can appreciate it?”

And there is much to appreciate. 

The windows, the ones that impressed Behan with the amount of light that flood the space, have been upgraded and insulated so well that when the nearby train passes, it barely makes a whisper. The original hardwood floor has been restored and now reflects the light from those windows beautifully. The open space features a raised platform for a carpeted living room and the chef’s kitchen almost creates a performance space for someone who loves to cook. The counters and the cabinets were purchased from a home in Cincinnati’s posh Indian Hill. 

Exposed brick comes from a home that was torn down during the widening of 12 Street and there are glass block windows used on one side of the building and in the staircase’s railing that come from the Coppin’s department store building where The Hotel Covington is being developed.

The high ceilings boast of gorgeous wooden beams that were once covered by concrete but have since been carefully cared for and create a sort of cabin vibe over top the living quarters. The full bathroom is spacious and has a shower for two. The bedroom also features the beautiful wood floors and has a walk-in closet big enough for a guest bed.

It also has a big double window that overlooks another piece of this property.

Those interested in acquiring this uniquely renovated warehouse in downtown Covington will also be the proud new owners of a renovation project of their own. An 1860’s Italianate towers over the warehouse on Ninth Street and has three possible apartments inside. Behan said that the home was constructed to house the servants who worked in a larger manor across the street that was razed about five years ago. 

The warehouse is such a beautiful home that Behan hopes it attracts the type of imaginative buyer that he was when he first set foot inside. Were he to stay put and live in the warehouse, Behan said that he would raze the non-historic rear addition to the house in front and create an inviting courtyard between the original home and the warehouse. Two or three apartments, or even a guest house, could then be installed in the historic home, the top floor of which offers a stunning view of downtown Covington and the Cincinnati skyline.

And speaking of views from the upper floors, the truly imaginative buyer could also have a signature project in the warehouse, too. There is the 6-car garage on street level, the amazing lift on the main floor, and then yet another floor above that is just waiting for someone to add not only more living space or an extra bedroom or two, but possibly an outdoor rooftop deck that would also offer a view of the Cincinnati skyline.

The entire home is listed currently at $239,000 (see the listing here). It is situated in the middle of downtown Covington where revitalization projects include multiple residential developments, a boutique hotel, and the expansion of a community college’s new urban metro campus. 

It offers a cool living opportunity as well as a possible project, like the one Behan undertook.

“I wanted to restore two things: a car and a building,” he said. He restored a 1969 Mercedes 280SL convertible and now his building. So, why would someone want to live in it?

“You just feel it. It’s just a feeling.”

Written by Michael Monks, editor & publisher