COVINGTON — During the Civil War, Confederate prisoners were housed in the three-story, Greek Revival and Italianate structure at Fifth Street and Madison Avenue. When the war ended, victorious Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was honored with a reception there.

        And in 1900, the body of William Goebel, the only Kentucky governor to be assassinated in office, laid in state there, as an estimated 10,000 people filed past.

        For most of its 144-year history, the picturesque Odd Fellows Hall was not only a lodge. The mammoth building — featuring its own water system and a second-floor ceiling suspended from the attic by truss work — was the primary gathering spot for significant local events, said Karl Lietzenmayer, president of the Kenton County Historical Society.

        “It was the center of Covington's civic and political life for at least 60 years,” he said.

        Now undergoing restoration, the hall will be on display at a July 26 open house, with proceeds benefitting the Kenton County Historical Society.

The writing's on the wall

        The public's interest was spurred partly by the recent discovery of Civil War-era graffiti in some of the second floor rooms, said Tony Milburn, who recently purchased the building with Damian and Kelly Sells.

IF YOU GO

What: “Wrinkle in Time” open house and tour of the historic Odd Fellows Hall   Where: Fifth Street and Madison Avenue, Covington   When: 4-7 p.m., July 26   Cost: The $5 admission will go to the Kenton County Historical Society to pay for its publications and programs.   Comfortable footwear is recommended.

        “All these people wanted to see the building, and Damian and Kelly and I wanted to try to accommodate them,” Mr. Milburn said. ”

        After visiting the Odd Fellows Hall on Friday, Thomas W. Fugate, the Civil War site coordinator for the Kentucky Heritage Council, said some of the writings appeared to be the work of Confederate prisoners, said Gretchen Theissen, who is handling publicity for the building's owners. The writings also are thought to be the work of Union soldiers who were there for treason, as well as average citizens who were accused of various crimes, she said.

        “It was martial law at the time, and they believe the ballroom was being used as a courtroom,” Ms.Theissen said.

Redoing the past

        The upper floors of the building have housed everything from the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a men's organization, to a ballroom and a skating rink. In more recent years, however, the historic hall has housed a liquor store and some strip clubs on its main floor.

        Plans for the Odd Fellows Hall — most of which has been vacant since the late 1950s — will be on display on the building's first floor during the open house. Current plans call for office space on the upper floors and restaurant and retail uses on the first floor, Mr. Milburn said.

        Covington officials see the project as helping revitalize the city's downtown. The city supported an application for a $1 million grant through Gov. Paul Patton's Kentucky Renaissance program to help trigger development in downtowns.

        Thirty-three projects are vying for a total of $36 million in grants, with the owners of the Odd Fellows Hall applying for the maximum $1 million.

        Gov. Patton will announce the grant recipients on July 27 in Danville.

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