THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT

The law offices of Wolnitzek & Rowekamp, P.S.C., are located in the George W. Hamilton House at 502 Greenup Street, Covington, Kentucky. This building has served as the residence for a number of prominent Covingtonians since the Civil War Era. The building is a large Italianate brick townhouse with stone trim typical of this era.

In 1867, George W. Hamilton, a native of Lexington, Ky., purchased the land on which the building sits from coal dealer, James C. Blick. In 1869, while the house was being built, George lived with his brother next door at 508 Greenup. George lived at 502 Greenup with his wife, Agnes Shaw Hamilton, and their three children from 1870 until 1902.

Between 1902 and 1936, the home was occupied by a number of families, including Robert L. and J. Lawrence Crigler, Mrs. Sallie Bruce-Morris, Mattie Bruce Reynolds and Samuel Weathers. Since 1936, the house has passed through several hands, eventually becoming a nine-unit apartment building.

Our law firm purchased the building in 1982 and renovation was begun to restore the property to its turn-of-the-century elegance and beauty. Mrs. Martha Weathers Arthur, daughter of Samuel Weathers, provided a first-hand account of what the house was like when she occupied it. The present large conference room was their parlor, the smaller conference room was their library. The present waiting area was their dining room. The area directly behind the waiting area was the butler pantry and the rear law office on the first floor was the kitchen.

Certified by the Kentucky Heritage Council and the U.S. Department of the Interior, the George W. Hamilton House has been returned to its Edwardian splendor while serving a new use. On its conspicuous near-downtown corner, it is once again a landmark of which its owners, occupants and the City of Covington can be proud.