One of Covington’s historic buildings has been transformed into the city’s newest shared workspace: Ernst Coworking.
Located at 405 Garrard St. in Covington’s Licking Riverside neighborhood, Ernst Coworking features 17 offices, each in different sizes. Some offices can accommodate up to two people, others up to six, and then a team office is also available.
The space features amenities such as a solarium, high-speed internet access and a conference room available to rent by the hour.
“We’re at about 80% capacity right now,” said Nathan Chick, managing partner of Odd Fellows CoWorking Space, who is involved with the project.
The mansion was last renovated in 1982, according to the Kentucky Historical Society. Covington-based developer A.M. Titan was in charge of the renovations. The Milburn Group owns and manages the space.
‘”It was a really exciting project,” said A.M. Titan developer Anthony Bradford. “It’s an anchor historic building in Covington right here on the corner of Garrard and 4th. We did a lot of work just restoring the walls, replacing carpet, refinishing floors, renovating bathrooms and things of that sort. But again, it was really awesome to be a part of a really historic project.”
Originally built as a family home, the mansion primarily served as the residence of Sen. Richard Ernst from 1906 to 1934. Ernst was a Covington-born lawyer, banker, politician, and philanthropist who represented Kentucky in the United States Senate from 1921 to 1927.
The mansion was designed by architect Samuel Hannaford, who also notably designed Cincinnati’s Music Hall. Its design was envisioned to be a brick version of English architect Richard Shaw’s Queen Anne with High Victorian Gothic and Neo-Grec elements.
In 1940, the mansion was reinvented as the Flannery Hotel. It stayed in business for 35 years, officially closing in 1975. It was designated in the National Register of Historic Places that same year.
