COVINGTON — Covington's 12th Street is the only Northern Kentucky site among the 12 most endangered historic places in the state, according to a nonprofit group working to preserve the Commonwealth's historic resources.

        Preservation Kentucky Inc. released the first of what it expects will be an annual list of most endangered historic sites Wednesday at the 2002 Kentucky Historic Preservation Conference in Danville.

ENDANGERED SPOTS

Ky.'s endangered historic places:     “Falls of the Rough” Mill Complex in Grayson County     Kosmodale Train Depot in Jefferson County     Cottage, Hurstborne Country Club, Jefferson County     12th Street in Covington     Woodlawn, Madison County     Basil Duke House in Mason County     Rocky Point, Mercer Cty.     Ward Hall in Scott County     Chatham House in Shelby County     Kentucky's historic county courthouses in downtowns     Unincorporated African-American communities of Freeport, Loving and Sunnyside in Warren County     Snell Hall at Western Kentucky University in Warren County     Source: Preservation Kentucky Inc.

        For nearly two decades, many of the tightly packed houses and commercial buildings have deteriorated on 12th Street, while Kentucky transportation officials debated various plans to widen and improve the state thoroughfare. It borders four historic districts and links Covington and Newport.

        In February, state transportation officials decided to consider the four latest alternatives for improving 12th Street.

        Public hearings will be held after a new study is done to comply with federal environmental requirements and 4-year-old statistics on parking and traffic are updated.

        “This is recognition of a situation that most of us were already aware of,” said Covington City Commissioner Craig Bohman. Since last year, he has served on a committee studying ways to lessen the 12th Street project's impact on the neighborhood's historic assets.

        “It's unfortunate that the historic districts are not only threatened by the project itself, but also the lack of movement on the project,” Mr. Bohman said.

        He added 12th Street has suffered from “nearly two decades of demolition by neglect.”

        “Why would you want to invest several thousand dollars on a new roof or new windows on a house when you've been told for many years that it'll be torn down the next year?” Mr. Bohman asked.

        The “most endangered list” recognizes sites with historic, cultural or archaeological significance “that are directly threatened or in immediate danger of being lost from (Kentucky's) landscape,” said Janet Johnston, past chair of Preservation Kentucky, and the person who spearheaded the project.

        She said her organization will work with local preservation groups to monitor the historic sites and develop plans for preserving the sites on the list, as well as other endangered places in local communities.

        Janis Scott, chair of Preservation Kentucky Inc., said the designation carries no financial assistance but is done to educate communities on the historical significance of local landmarks, hopefully prompting individuals or groups to spend the money to save them.

        Historic properties and places listed on the 2002 Endangered and Watch lists were selected from nominations received by Preservation Kentucky Inc. Last November, members of Preservation Kentucky, professional preservationists and local preservation volunteers were asked to submit nominations for the list.

        “Unless carefully watched, (most of the properties on the endangered list) may vanish from the Kentucky landscape,” according to the Web site for Preservation Kentucky Inc. A separate “watch list” contains nine places or categories of buildings, such as historic schools and downtown post offices, that should be “carefully monitored” if they're going to be around for the next generation.

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