covington landmark art installation

The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center (Carnegie) and The Center for Great Neighborhoods (CGN) seek proposals for a new landmark public art installation to anchor Covington’s newest development, a 500-million-dollar mixed-use project in the heart of the downtown riverfront area. The Covington Central Riverfront (CCR) site, a 23 acre site that was once home to an IRS processing facility, is being transformed into a neighborhood with a restored street grid, office, residential, retail, and public spaces.

As the site owner, the City of Covington has committed to this redevelopment district like none before with land acquisition, master planning, demolition, remediation, engineering utilities design, and horizontal infrastructure, including a 670-car public garage. This investment of effort, energy, time and treasure represents the commitment and dedication of the City to the progressive vision, which anticipates the development of this new mixed-use neighborhood with new jobs and significantly leveraged private investment. Development objectives include:

• A restored street grid
• A variety of developers
• Mix of contemporary architectural styles
• Commitment to Covington developers
• Minority and Women owned participation
• Market rate housing
• 50–100-year life cycle of buildings
• Flexible public green spaces
• Pedestrian and bicycle oriented
• Office space with high paying jobs
• Locally owned retailers, restaurants, and bars
• Reasonable sale for parcels

The City has divided the site into 16 different ‘Blocks’ which will all select developers under separate requests for proposals (RFPs). Many of the Blocks have open or yet to be released RFPs, while others have developers and buyers selected. Committed developments include: the Salmon P. Chase School of Law, the Northern Kentucky campus of the University of Kentucky’s four-year School of Medicine, expansion of the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, 16 townhomes, 257 market-rate apartments, 7,700 square feet of retail space, and a parking structure.

Additional information about the CCR development can be found on the City’s website. (link https://thecovky.gov/covington-central-riverfront/)

A successful proposal will respond to one or more of these three prompts:

Material

The IRS data-processing center was a major source of economic revival for the city of Covington in 1967. It brought in thousands of jobs, becoming at one point Covington’s largest employer and a major source of payroll tax revenue that funded half of the City’s General Fund.

• Use material remnants from the IRS building to incorporate into your proposal.

History

The CCR site has a history beyond the IRS. It was an economic hub of the region dating back to the mid 1800s, was first inhabited by settlers in the late 1700s, and prior to that was home to indigenous populations. History is a broad term meant to include people, industry, architecture, geography, etc. at any point in time.

• We invite you to incorporate the larger history of the CCR site or Covington into your proposal.

Community

The CCR site has undergone many transformations and uses over time, which directly affects the surrounding community. Covington is unique, it is diverse, and it is very special to the people that call it home. There are 19 distinct neighborhoods in the city of Covington and each one has its own character, identity, and history. The geographic layout of the city adds to the distinction in neighborhoods and creates a physical layout that is quite spread out for being a relatively small, dense city. The location of the CCR development puts it at the north end of the city, but the vision for its future makes it a hub for life in Covington where all residents feel invited, included, and pride for their city.

• Create a proposal that highlights Covington’s identity and makes its 40k+ residents feel like they’re acknowledged in the future of this area.

Timeline:

Fabrication period: August 15 – November 15

Expected Installation: November 15 – 30