Tower 1099
Tower 1099 is a permanent public sculpture constructed using salvaged materials from the former IRS building that once stood on the Covington Central Riverfront site. It reimagines a small fragment of the original façade, a literal slice of the past, which is then mirrored and rotated to form a four-sided column. The resulting structure stands as a contemporary relic: rooted in the city’s industrial and architectural history, yet transformed to mark a new chapter of community growth and identity.
2025
The work responds directly to the material prompt by incorporating authentic remnants from the demolished IRS facility. These materials are central to the meaning of the sculpture, not decorative, but foundational, and serve to honour the thousands of jobs and lives connected to the site. It also speaks to the history, reflecting Covington’s legacy as an economic hub. The column is a distilled architectural gesture that captures both the spirit of the IRS era and the broader story of the site. It is an object of memory and continuity.
Tower 1099 offers Covington a new landmark, not as a foreign object placed into the city, but as something deeply rooted in its fabric. Constructed from salvaged materials of the former IRS building, the sculpture reflects a familiar texture and history that residents recognise. It is not imported; it is reclaimed. The bricks and forms carry the memory of a place that once supported thousands of local jobs and shaped the city’s identity for generations.
More than a monument, Tower 1099 is a civic gesture, a structure the community can claim as their own. It honours the layers of Covington’s history while standing as a proud, quiet symbol of resilience and renewal.