The stabilization of world-famous painter and sculptor Frank Duveneck’s childhood home in Covington will begin soon.
The Covington Board of Commissioners voted last week to hire SSRG Midwest Operations, a Cincinnati-based specialized contractor with expertise in stabilization, foundation and façade work and historic preservation.
Work on the dilapidated building at 1226 Greenup St. will begin as soon as a contract is signed and the city arranges to bring electrical power and water service to the site, said Walt Mace, assistant director of Covington’s Neighborhood Services Department.
The city sought and in September was granted temporary control of the building by a Kenton County Circuit judge under a 2-year-old state law called the Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act.
“We’re not letting grass grow under our feet on this project,” Mace said. “SSRG officials said they can start pretty much right away, and the work itself will take only about a month.”
The scope of the work is repair, replacement or bracing up of roof rafters, exterior wall studs and sheathing, floors and the foundation. The total amount of the contract is just under $135,000.
“The building is not going to look much different from the outside, but it will be stabilized and weatherized,” Mace said. “We got permission from the courts to save the building and that’s what we’re going to do.”
What happens to the building after it is stabilized isn’t yet determined, city officials said.
“Our only goal at this point is to save history and keep the building from falling,” Mace said.