Drees Homes to celebrate new Overlook at Devou Park today with family, Covington officials

Staff report

Drees Homes, a national home builder headquartered in Fort Mitchell, will debut the newly enhanced Overlook at Covington’s Devou Park, one of the region’s most photo-worthy destinations today.

Just beyond the Drees Pavilion, the Drees family will join Mayor Joseph Meyer and City of Covington officials in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially debut $1 million worth of park enhancements at the Overlook.

Enhancements include:

• New seat wall, steps and picnic area featuring a variety of convenient rest spots overlooking the picturesque Cincinnati skyline.

• A dedicated observation patio , complete with swings and engaging views.

• Buried utility lines to create improved aesthetics of area viewpoints.

• Improved sightlines from the vehicular roundabout and added sidewalks.

• Permanent welcome signage for the Drees Pavilion.

In 2004, Drees Homes, led by former CEO, President and Chairman of the Board, the late Ralph Drees, dedicated The Drees Pavilion, a $2 million event center, to the City of Covington.

Its proceeds continue to enrich Devou Park today, having invested over $7 million back into the area.

It is with this spirit that Drees employees and family members will honor Ralph, who also served Kenton County as Judge Executive from 2004 to 2010, with a newly renovated Overlook.

The celebration will take place today at 4 – 4:30 p.m. at the Overlook at Drees Pavilion in Devou Park 790 Park Lane, Covington.

Drees Homes and The City of Covington will celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with City of Covington leaders and the Drees family.

The Drees Homes story began in 1928 when German immigrant Theodore Drees crossed the Atlantic with visions of a better life. Today, the first Drees home ever built, a brick cape cod in Wilder, still stands as a testament to Theodore’s dedication to craftsmanship.

Theodore’s son, Ralph, joined the business in 1959 after serving in the Army. It was Ralph Drees’ philosophy of diversification and industry leadership that took the company into new markets.

Ralph Drees died in 2021 at age 86. In addition to leading the company to national prominence, he was active in the Northern Kentucky community, serving as Judge Executive of Kenton County, chairman of the airport board, chairman of the Chamber, to name just a few, and receiving a long list of honors and recognitions.

Today, Drees Homes builds in 10 different metros spanning the Midwest, Southeast, and Texas. It is the nation’s 19th largest privately-owned home builder – the 36th largest overall.

It remains a family-owned and operated company into its third generation. Ralph’s son David is president of the company and his daughter, Barbara Drees Jones, is president of the Drees Homes Foundation.

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