In his seminal book, “How Buildings Learn”, Stewart Brand contends a structure’s true worth over time is found in how successfully it can be repurposed over the course of its lifetime. Using that criterion, Covington’s iconic 100 West Sixth Street has arguably been one of the city’s most valuable buildings in this regard.

The first structure of note at the intersection of 6th and Washington was an engine house built in 1865-1866 to house Covington’s nascent paid fire department. Starting in 1833, the city had relied on a paid volunteer force. Those early paid volunteers were called “smoke eaters” and wore red suits with black suspenders. The first person to arrive at a fire with a full cask of water was given $2.50, but the rate fell to