Former Fifth Third building in Bellevue historic district to get new life as commercial space, apartments
A more than century-old building in the heart of Bellevue, Kentucky, that for decades served as a bank in the city's main business thoroughfare, is being revitalized.
The former Fifth Third Bank building on Fairfield Avenue was sold for $525,000 in April, according to Campbell County Property Valuation Administrator records.
Mark Ayer, a local developer, is looking to renovate the structure, with plans for commercial space on the ground floor and apartments on the second and third floors, according to Bellevue Mayor Charlie Cleves.
It's currently not clear what kind of business will move into the building, Cleves said, though there has been some interest from restaurant owners.
A code review of the space, conducted by the Covington-based architecture firm Hub+Weber, shows possible uses of the first floor as retail, bar, restaurant, or office space.
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is currently using the space as a temporary box office while construction continues on its new theater in Mount Adams.
Cleves said Ayer also has plans to restore the structure's facade to the way it looked in the early 1900s. Cleves referred questions about the building's history to Jim McPhail, a Bellevue resident and self-described amateur historian.
McPhail said, according to his research, that the building was first built in 1909 and used as a saloon. Until just recently, the building had long housed a bank, ever since its purchase by Bellevue Commercial & Savings Bank in 1919, McPhail told The Enquirer.
Bellevue Commercial & Savings Bank remodeled the building in 1962, according to a Kentucky Post and Times-Star article from March of that year. At that time, it was the largest single-unit bank in Campbell County.
McPhail said Fifth Third eventually moved into the building in 1987.
Located at the corner of Fairfield and Taylor avenues, the building sits inside Bellevue's Fairfield Avenue Historic District, the commercial hub for the riverside city of more than 5,500 residents.
Cleves said the city has already granted the developer a certificate of appropriateness to work on the exterior, though Ayer may have to obtain additional approvals before moving forward with other parts of the project.
"I personally think it's great," Cleves said of the building's renovation, though he added there will be a high cost associated with restoring the facade to its original look.
Cleves said there's currently no indication as to when the project will be complete. Ayer has not responded to multiple messages from The Enquirer seeking comment.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Former Fifth Third in Bellevue historic district to undergo renovation
