Carnegie Hall, Covington, Kentucky 1904

It was rare among Carnegie Libraries to have a full-scale auditorium.  There are perhaps five left in the United States.  The complex opened in 1904.

The auditorium became the site of every important civic and artistic occasion in Covington.  William Jennings Bryan lectured here in 1909.  But it was the high school graduations, town hall meetings, community theatre performances and lectures that made The Carnegie Auditorium most memorable.


The Covington Plea - Photo of Vote Against War taken at Mass Meeting of Citizens of Covington and Kenton County, Kentucky, Library Auditorium Evening of May 1st, 1916.  (photo courtesy Kenton County Public Library)

During World War II, the original copper roofing was torn off and sold for scrap.  One source says the deed was done "...panel by panel in the night by thieves."  There is no proof that the roof was stolen, but the result was devastating.  The theatre suffered many years of significant water damage.  In 1958, without the funds to repair it, the library boarded up the auditorium.

Both the library and the auditorium were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.  That was not enough, however, to save both buildings from being slated for demolition when the Covington library vacated the premises for larger quarters in 1974.  It took a group of interested Covington citizens to save The Carnegie from that fate.  They formed the Northern Kentucky Arts Council that year.

Opening the doors of the theatre at that time, eyewitnesses recall trees growing up through the floorboards and vines twisting through the balconies.  Extra books stored in the theatre were swollen and covered with mold. 


Carnegie Auditorium, circa 1974 (photo courtesy Kenton County Library)

Hopes and plans for restoration began immediately. The architect Edward Beiting, Jr. found the structure basically sound and said, "It is my recommendation that the building is most worthy to be preserved as an historical and architectural monument...and is well-suited to serve the community for its cultural endeavors for several generations to come."

A theatre consultant from New York, Peter Wingate, was engaged. His comment:  "Among the most acoustically perfect in the world for a theatre its size."

In August of 1979, the Northern Kentucky Arts Council held a "Halfway to the Theatre" party.  More than 400 people sat on folding chairs to hear selections from opera, drama and Broadway.  Little did the crowd at the "Halfway to the Theatre" party know the completion of the "other half" was still 27 years away.

Although each were valiant, efforts at restoration of the theatre had more stops and starts than a city bus.  But enough was accomplished by those efforts to stabilize the structure and save it from further damage.


Severe plaster deterioration

The theatre was used infrequently over the ensuing 35 years because of its serious, even dangerous, disrepair.  Over that time the Northern Kentucky Arts Council became The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center and continued to develop as a gallery for new and emerging regional artists.  Arts education classes serving children were introduced.  The budget and organization grew.

But still...

It was always the theatre that ignited yearning.  Musicians were known to pause in the middle of the theatre just to sing a few notes and listen to the incredible acoustics.  Actors looked longingly at the stage.  Architecture buffs could see the beauty through the plaster dust.

In 1999, one of the Cincinnati area's most generous arts patrons, Otto M. Budig, Jr., joined The Carnegie's board of directors.  This was the turning point for The Carnegie.

Along with the State of Kentucky, the City of Covington and others, Mr. Budig led The Carnegie to complete a connector addition in 2003, linking the galleries with the theatre. More importantly, this made the entire complex accessible to all.  That project sparked the creation in 2004 of a bright and beautiful new classroom space, the Eva G. Farris Education Center.  Those projects enhanced The Carnegie immeasurably and benefited the surrounding neighborhood by clearing trash-strewn lots and abandoned houses.

In 2005, The Carnegie's signature stained glass interior dome was completely refurbished.  The only piece remaining to complete The Carnegie campus was the renovation of the theatre.

Architectural firm, KZF, noted renovators of the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Covington Cathedral, were engaged.  HGC Construction executed the plan.

Eighteen thousand hours of skilled labor were required to complete the project.

Five tons of deteriorated plaster were removed.

Fifty bolts of fiberglass were laminated onto the walls.

One hundred seventy-five gallons of paint were used.

And most importantly of all, $2,500,000 was raised from the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky community to make it all happen.  Hundreds of gifts from large to small, and from individuals, corporations, and foundations restored what is now the Otto M. Budig Theatre at The Carnegie.

The Otto M. Budig Theatre celebrated its grand opening on March 24 - 26, 2006.

The renovated Otto M. Budig Theatre at The Carnegie, March 2006 (images courtesy of Ken Allen of Studio A Photography)

Excerpt from:
The Kentucky Post
March 12, 1904

The auditorium is entirely separate from the library, as much so as though in a separate building. It is like stepping into a modern playhouse. There are the latest opera chairs and the incline leading to the stage, while around the walls are balconies also supplied with opera chairs. At last Covington has a public hall large enough for all practical purposes. The decorations are tasteful and pleasing to the eye.

The stage is large enough for any amateur performance that may be given by local talent. It is fitted with an attractive drop curtain and shift scenes, and when the auditorium is prepared for an entertainment it presents a most attractive appearance. There is a row of footlights and in every way it has been made into a miniature theater, perfect in all its appointments. The stage is twice as large as the one in Carnegie Hall, Newport. At one side of the auditorium is the ladies' cloakroom.

A decided advantage of the auditorium is the ease with which the house can be emptied in case of a fire. There are half a dozen different means of exit, and it would be almost impossible for a catastrophe like the Iroquois Theater fire horror in Chicago to occur here. The audience could escape through the library proper or through the side door, and as it is on the first floor, persons could easily get out through the windows. The architects for the building were Boll and Taylor, of Cincinnati.