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All for One in Northern Kentucky

The OneNKY Center opens in Covington to help regional growth organizations collaborate with the community and each other.

by John Fox

The Northern Kentucky Port Authority developed the OneNKY Center with $10 million in construction bonds issued by Kenton County Fiscal Court and with The Catalytic Fund of Northern Kentucky incubating the concept after years of discussion and planning. The $26 million four-story building opened in September with 47,000 total square feet of office, laboratory, and community space. With complementary designs, The Ascent condo tower and the OneNKY Center form a modern Covington gateway at the Roebling Suspension Bridge.

The Northern Kentucky Bar Association’s third floor office was designed by Platte Architecture + Design to welcome attorneys for coworking, events, and meetings. BLDG designed the artwork in meetNKY’s lobby to reflect the region’s history and future, including a new regional brand. The horse figure is on loan from Behringer-Crawford Museum and is a relic from the White Horse Tavern, a Ft. Mitchell restaurant that burned down in 1972. The Corporex Community Board Room hired Emboss Design to create a custom-built table that follows the curve of the building and room.

The ground floor St. Elizabeth Unity Lounge, designed by Emboss Design, will serve as a meeting space and an art gallery in partnership with ArtsWave. An artist-in-residence program is expected to launch in the spring. SHP designed BE NKY Growth Partnership’s hospitality space to showcase views of the Roebling Suspension Bridge and the downtown Cincinnati skyline. Other organizations relocating to the OneNKY Center include OneNKY Alliance, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky, and The Catalytic Fund.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky provided $15 million in funding to establish LifeSciKY on the building’s second floor, which will offer 15,000 square feet of life sciences labs and startup space. Tenants are still to be announced.

Photographs by Chris Von Holle

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