COVINGTON, Ky. — On Wednesday, Governor Andy Beshear was in Northern Kentucky for a number of community unveilings and ribbon cuttings, including the opening of Wenzel Distillery in Covington.
The building that is now Wenzel Distillery used to be a Packard Auto dealership and showroom in the 1920s.
Now, 100 years later, new life has been breathed into the building, and that’s a main goal for the City of Covington.
“When we have a new business like this, when they take a building like this that has been there since 1916, it lifts every single person in the community up and it leaves none of them out,” said Governor Beshear.
Wenzel was previously primarily a bourbon blending shop, but with the new distillery will now be able to distill more of its own bourbon.
Take a look inside the new distillery and hear why the City of Covington is working toward restoring historic buildings rather than demolishing them:
“We are not big on tearing down historic structures, that’s kind of against what we believe in,” said Covington Mayor Ron Washington.
The city is looking to restore old buildings rather than tear them down because of the character they bring to the city, and a building filled with character, plus a new business, is a recipe for success for the City of Covington.
“With this business opening, you’re talking about 15 new jobs here in our city, you’re talking about a $6 million investment into a historic, historic structure,” said Washington.
Covington has the second highest number of historic properties in the state of Kentucky, with eight different historic preservation zones. A main reason why they prefer revitalization over demolition.
Currently, a major restoration of a 1910s Covington building is underway on the 700 block of Madison Ave.
The building used to be a furniture store, and now it hopes to bring new businesses to the area.
“They’ve taken an old furniture store, Sim’s furniture, and now it's gonna be an entrepreneur hub,” said Washington. “So people that want to grow businesses, start businesses, they’ll come down to our city.”
