1125-1127 Russell St., Covington

Address: 1125-1127 Russell St., Covington

Owner: About 10 people have a claim on the property’s title, according to the city of Covington

Value: $25,000 (before a fire damaged the building this summer)

Year Built: approximately 1880

Comments: Decades ago this was the home of Blood’s Bar at the corner of Russell and 12th streets. Now the building, which suffered a significant fire over the summer, is in limbo.

The city of Covington was trying to buy the building and get it rehabbed, but the fire is complicating that effort, according to City Solicitor Jay Fossett.

“It’s kind of up in the air as to whether the city is going to take possession or not,” Fossett says.

The city keeps a top 10 list of blighted buildings, meaning abandoned buildings that aren’t being maintained, and can take over buildings if they’re in one of the city’s urban renewal zones. This building is not in a zone, so the city used its vacant property laws to force a sale.

“The city commission has really made a point in the last year to go after blighted properties,” Fossett says.

Most times citizens suggest blighted buildings to the city, he says. The city then contacts the owner of each building to see if there’s a plan to fix it up or at least keep up maintenance. If not, the city offers to pay the fair market value of the building. If the owner refuses, the city uses eminent domain to buy the building.

Right now about 10 people have some sort of claim on this building, which has been vacant for 10 to 20 years, Fossett says. One of them is fighting the city’s attempt to force the building’s sale.

A couple of months ago — right after the Kenton County Circuit Court ruled the city could buy the building — a fire broke out, damaging much of the roof and interior.

“I don’t know what that means,” Fossett says, chuckling. “It’s probably just coincidence.”

The case is headed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

This article appears in Sep 25 – Oct 1, 2002.