By Mike Rutledge
NKyTribune Contributor
The Baker Hunt Art & Cultural Center has appealed a July ruling against its plans to build a glass-walled classroom on its Greenup Street campus, and the Covington City Commission will consider that appeal 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.
The city’s Urban Design Review Board voted 5-1 against the controversial modernistic building, which opponents argue would fail to respect the historic nature of surrounding buildings on the campus and in the surrounding Licking Riverside historic district.
The proposed 1,500-square-foot classroom building is part of a $3 million renovation. It would be built at an angle to Greenup Street between the original Baker Hunt Mansion, which dates to 1840, and the nearby Scudder House, built about 1880.
Opponents of the project include some longstanding supporters of Baker Hunt.
In a letter appealing the decision, Chad Burke of GBBN Architects argued the 93-year-old Baker Hunt center, one of the oldest continuous community art centers in the country, not only has been an arts cornerstone of Northern Kentucky for generations, but its enrollment has grown by more than 123 percent over the past four years.
But to remain competitive, “we must invest in increased visibility (Greenup entry) and unique and upgraded facilities (Garden Pavilion) that will attract students into the future,” Burke wrote.
“While other areas struggle to develop a sustainable arts-based economic development model, Covington has the distinct advantage of having a successful near-100-year-old institution seeking to make a major investment.”
Among other arguments made in his appeal letter, Burke contended: “It is clear from the record that the members of the UDRB opposed Baker Hunt’s proposal on aesthetic grounds that were not based on substantial evidence and not based on the historic guidelines.”
Virginia Kerst, a longtime volunteer and supporter of Baker Hunt who opposes the project as it is proposed, argues the city commission’s decision will have impact beyond Baker Hunt itself.
“There are several important issues at hand,” Kerst wrote in an email. “This design will be used as a precedent for all future applicants for new construction in historic districts.”
“It cannot be left to a decision based on taste,” Kerst added. “The members of the UDRB are appointed by the commission based on their collective expertise in the area of architecture and concern for the fabric of the city. If the UDRB decision is overturned by the commission based on taste or the needs of the applicant, the guidelines are useless and the UDRB may as well be dissolved.”
Lisa Sauer, a Licking Riverside resident, said: “I think it is important to state that we are not against Baker Hunt adding a building if they feel it is needed. We believe they could construct a building that meets their classroom needs within the guidelines.”
Barry Coates, an architect who lives across the street from the Baker Hunt campus and who says the proposed building fails to respect the historic structures surrounding it, took exception with Burke’s contention that the UDRB opposed the proposal on aesthetic grounds, and not upon substantial evidence or the historic guidelines.
“This is completely inaccurate,” Coates contends. “They based their decision on the guidelines and the evidence presented.”