COVINGTON — In two weeks, the long-vacant Howl at the Moon space at Covington Landing will reopen under new management as Sleep Out Louie's.

        The 7,000-square-foot pub is intended to evoke memories of the Cincinnati bar that once stood at Second and Plum streets and of an infamous Newport gangster — “Sleepout” Louie Levinson.

        Part of a $1 million renovation of Covington Landing, the opening of the new neighborhood pub means Covington Landing “will be the most leased” it's been since its August, 1990 opening, said John Frazer, CEO of Yucatan Development, which owns the new business and the adjacent Yucatan Liquor Stand.

        Covington Assistant City Manager Tom Steidel said the entertainment complex will be about 85 percent leased with the opening of Sleep Out Louie's. The city bought the landing in bankruptcy court in 1997 and since has made about $500,000 worth of capital improvements to the barge.

        The city “looked at a lot of different situations for that space and was in negotiations with John for a long time,” Mr. Steidel said. “We're happy with the deal we got.”

        Most of the $1 million in renovations went toward furnishing and equipping Sleep Out Louie's and making minor improvements to the Yucatan Liquor Stand, which has been part of the Landing for more than seven years. Included in that $1 million is $218,500 the city is spending on infrastructure improvements, including separate entrances to all the businesses in the lower level, air-conditioning work and separate restrooms for Covington Landing tenants.

        When Sleep Out Louie's opens, the bar formerly known as Rialto's at the eastern end of the landing's first floor will close.

        The new pub will be just to the west of the Yucatan Liquor Stand. Besides the old Howl at the Moon space that was vacated more than four years ago, Sleep Out Louie's also will occupy part of the old hallway, former retail shops and restrooms.

        “The overall goal of the remodeling of the landing's first floor is to create three self-sufficient entertainment venues, each with its own character,” Mr. Frazer said. “That was not previously possible, given the original first floor design that had the restrooms in a common hallway.”

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