The city of Covington is seeking $300,000 in federal grant money to fund its rehabilitation efforts of the Duveneck House, a historic home belonging to Frank Duveneck, a famous 19th and 20th-century artist, sculptor and teacher.
The Covington City Commission voted to allow city staff members to apply for federal money granted through Kentucky’s Cabinet of Economic Development. If the city’s application is approved, the city could receive up to $300,000 to fund the rehab of the building.
The structure, which was placed on the National Historic Register in 2015, has been the subject of a nearly 8-year legal battle between the city and the house’s owner, The Frank Duveneck Arts and Cultural Center. The city sued the center in February in order to gain control of what the city described as a “blighted building.”
Structural damage at the Duveneck House in Covington. Photo provided | The City of Covington 
Structural damage at the Duveneck House in Covington. Photo provided | The City of Covington 
Structural damage at the Duveneck House in Covington. Photo provided | The City of Covington 
Structural damage at the Duveneck House in Covington. Photo provided | The City of Covington
The building contains numerous structural problems, most notably a large hole in the foundation. The city employed a legal tool called the “Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act,” created in 2022, to bring an action that appoints a conservator to take possession of and undertake the rehabilitation of an abandoned or blighted building. The Kenton County Circuit Court granted the city conservatorship on Sept. 6.