Local developers have begun renovations on The Southern Hotel on Boston St. in downtown Covington in preparation for a 2013 opening.

“We [Ward and her husband] moved here from New Orleans in 1999. I started talking about it, probably the day after we moved here, ‘Gosh, why hasn’t somebody turned that back into a hotel?’” said owner Lisa Condrey Ward, as reported by “Inside Northside Magazine.”

According to the hotel’s website, the Southern Hotel originally opened in 1907 during the glory days of the “Ozone Belt,” when the area enjoyed immense popularity as a resort. The cool air flowing out of the piney woods was welcome in the days before air conditioning, and area waters were thought to be medicinal. The Southern Hotel and others on the north shore thus attracted guests from all over the country. In 1913, the property was turned into a retreat for people with respiratory illnesses, closing in the 1960s. In 1983, the property was renovated into a part of the Covington Courthouse Complex; but with the completion of the new Justice Center in 2003, the property was sold at auction. Now 105 years after its original opening, the Southern Hotel is stepping back onto the scene.

“This is going to be contagious,” said Covington Mayor Mike Cooper. “It’s the centerpiece of our city, and that’s going to spill over to other businesses wanting to locate to our downtown.”

Plans for the new hotel include 41 luxury guest rooms. The back of the property opens up onto the alley running from New Hampshire St. to Vermont St., creating a “u-shaped” building. Plans include to close this space in, creating a spacious courtyard in the center with all of the major hotel spaces opening up to it, including a ballroom, business meeting rooms, spa, hotel bar, and a new 2,480 sq. ft. restaurant.

“I think there’s going to be a renaissance in Covington. My personal vision is to expand the types and diversity of businesses into something similar to what Magazine St. has in New Orleans. If we put that together and get the [Star] movie theater open—and hopefully the hotel will be an ideal catalyst for that—it will become a really wonderful, pedestrian-friendly city that has a lot to offer,” said Ward.

Interior renovations have already begun, with the whole project expected to be completed in 12-15 months.

For additional information on the renovation, visit www.southernhotel.com.

(photograph from southernhotel.com)