Covington
Hotel Covington
John R. Coppin's 1909 department store, later City Hall, a hotel since 2016; the hotel says a bet on a longshot horse named Knowledge paid for it.
- Built
- 1909Built 1907-1909 for John R. Coppin's department store to designs by Cincinnati architect James Gilmore; construction began in the fall of 1907. The store closed in 1977, the building was Covington City Hall from about 1990 to 2014, and the hotel opened in September 2016.
- Style
- Commercial Style
- Architect
- James Gilmore
- Type
- Boutique hotel
- Rooms
- 114
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district
The story
The hotel says John Coppin financed the store with winnings from a bet on a longshot horse named Knowledge, and the building is described as Kentucky’s first modern skyscraper. Coppin’s operated as a department store until 1977; the building then sat vacant for 11 years before the city bought it in 1988 and used it as City Hall until 2014. The hotel opened in 2016 with the restaurant Coppin’s and the Knowledge Bar, and later expanded next door as North by Hotel Covington, 53 apartment-style rooms in the former Covington YMCA.
Good to know
- Parking: on-site paid
- Address: 638 Madison Ave, Covington, KY 41011
Things to do
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Sources (4)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.