This story originally appeared in the Dec. 16 edition of the weekly LINK Reader. To get these stories first, subscribe here.
Mainstrasse Village is famous for its architecture and restaurants, but one of the village’s statement-piece buildings is the Boyd Mansion, located at 606 Philadelphia St., in Covington.
Listed for $1.5 million, this large, historic structure is located in the heart of Mainstrasse, across the street from the Carroll Chimes Bell Tower in Goebel Park.
James G. Arnold, Covington’s first public school teacher and later city councilman, built the Second Empire/Victorian Gothic mansion in 1874. It was a wedding present for his daughter, L.B. Boyd.
The owner of the Boyd Mansion converted it to a multi-family residence in 1930.
In 1959, the mansion became The Park Hotel, and it operated for several years as both a hotel and boarding house. Although the exterior and the first floor still retained most of their architectural integrity, the building was marred by an incompatible rear and side addition.
In 2002, the Lawrence Firm purchased the house for redevelopment as a professional office building. Under the direction of architect Joanne Hann, the addition was removed and replaced with one more appropriate for the original building’s architecture. Following the Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines, the new addition did not copy the original but rather, complemented it as a contemporary interpretation.
Three years later, in 2005, 606 Philadelphia St. received the “Historic Preservation Award for an Appropriate New Addition” award from the City of Covington.
The 14,296-square-foot brick mansion is on a 0.24-acre lot. This office building, which is currently on the market, features an elevator and some doors that tower over 12 feet tall. There are three floors of office space, multiple conference rooms, a kitchenette, off-street parking, many storage areas, and an elevator from the parking entry.
The flooring features carpet, tile, and wood. The first floor includes a conference room and office spaces. The second floor has several office spaces and a kitchenette. The third floor features offices, a small conference room, and a majestic chandelier overlooking the stairway.