Renaissance Covington is aimed at revitalizing Covington’s historic downtown and they are rebranding with an exciting and invigorating new identity.
The new brand, #RCOV, champions the organization’s passion and focus on urban vitality, creative place-making and community building.
Renaissance will celebrate its new brand on April 3rd from 4-11 p.m. at the 199c: Opening Day Art Event and Block Party, located on Pike Street between Madison Avenue and Washington Street.
The brand was designed by board member Austin Dunbar, who owns Durham Brand & Co., located at 2 W. Pike Street.
Dunbar approached the project as the opportunity to develop a holistic branded solution.
“I found it to be a tremendous opportunity to capture the great things happening in our city and elevate the brand to place that’s reflective of Covington’s fun, vibrant and diverse culture,” he said. “Renaissance is a pivotal partner of progress for the revitalization of downtown, and I was excited to play a part in its momentum.”
“The new brand reflects the diversity of projects and programs that we execute. It also reflects our sense of fun and creativity,” says Renaissance Manager, Katie Meyer. “Our new tagline, Renaissance Covington, where great things come together, is a perfect reflection of how we approach our mission; through community engagement and partnership.”
What’s Renaissance all about?
Renaissance is about collaboration and bringing new ideas into the urban core that fosters social and economic progress. Renaissance Covington has operated since 2002 and since has become a popular thought-leader amongst the National Main Street movement, well-known for innovative programming including place making initiatives.
Madlot, the pop-up performance park at the corner of Seventh Street and Washington Street, is one of the most visible recent Renaissance Covington projects, born out of an impressive network of partners.
The Madlot project was created to establish an iconic gathering space in the Pike and Madison corridor for outdoor events and was formed by a partnership between Renaissance Covington, MKSK, Keep Covington Beautiful, BLDG, Covington Arts, Art of Pike, DPT7, and the City of Covington.
Renaissance board member Juliana Silveira, of MKSK, explains, “Madlot is a successful example of how small investments along with community support can transform an underutilized urban space.”
“It is through these broad collaborations that we continue to make progress in downtown,” Meyer says.
Renaissance Manager Meyer is in Atlanta this week to attend the National Main Street conference, where she will make two presentations about projects that she and the organization have organized in Covington. One of her talks will focus on the Madlot, the parking lot where Pike, Seventh and Washington streets converge.
Her other presentation will outline how the organization has created what are referred to as “Pop-Up Shops,” temporary retail locations in some of the vacant storefronts in downtown Covington. Last Christmas season, for example, “Pop-Up Shops” offered holiday gifts in a building on Madison Street.
Renaissance Board President, Steven Bryant, owns B-books and Kiki Magazine at 118 W. Pike Street with his wife Jamie.
“Renaissance works to change the perceptions of what’s possible in Covington and yet preserve our unique identity,” he says.
He believes that Renaissance Covington matters because of its proven ability to execute projects and bring activity into new spaces. Some of these projects include the holiday pop-up shops, Covington-opoly, Park(Ing) Day mini-golf, CoSign, food truck frenzies, the farmers market, and RoeblingFest.
What’s on the Calendar?
In 2015, Renaissance Covington will host a monthly outdoor music series at Madlot, every third Thursday from May through October. The Madlot Summer Series will focus on diverse music and cultural arts. The Covington Farmers Market will also integrate into the Madlot Summer Series, offering a weekday farmers market in downtown Covington for the first time.
The Covington Farmers Market, another Renaissance Covington initiative, launches May 2nd and is open every Saturday through October. The Market is located at 3rd Street and Park Place in Roebling Point and the weekly hours are 9am to 1pm.
Following their strength in activating urban spaces, Renaissance Covington will be transforming the CSX underpass at Pike Street and Russell Street this summer thanks to support from The Devou Good Project, a Covington-based philanthropy. The project was an attractive fit for Renaissance because of the unique challenges it presents to the geography of one of the downtown’s main entryways.
Jim Guthrie, an architect at Hub + Weber who serves on Renaissance Covington Board, describes the CSX underpasses as a “physical and psychological barrier bisecting Covington”. He says, “our project seeks to change that by claiming these in-between places and making them vibrant and active.” The project includes painting, new lighting, and a Zen Garden installation in the interior triangle.
Renaissance Covington is also one of the City’s biggest bike advocates. This year they are organizing a 10-mile bike tour on July 12, called The Bike-Centennial Tour in coordination with the Cov 200 events happening around the MLB All Star Game in Cincinnati. This ride will traverses Covington’s neighborhoods with stops at various iconic places or project/development sites.
Board member and bike activist, Richard Hunt, has worked on several Renaissance-supported bike rides over the past four years. He says, “I’d like to think that the real reward of biking is a greater appreciation for this wonderful life and city…and even better, an easy way to be a part of it all.” Hunt owns Roebling Point Books and Coffee at 3rd and Greenup.
In addition to the public facing events and programs, Renaissance Covington is working on retaining and growing downtown retail. One project includes a Center City Guide, produced in partnership with MainStrasse Village Association, Cov 200, Covington Business Council, Covington Arts, TANK, and the City of Covington. This map and brochure is designed to help promote Covington’s retail and restaurant businesses to residents as well as visitors, especially targeting the MLB All Star Game and Cov 200 events.
From Renaissance Covington and staff reports