Preservation Alliance acts to save W.Va. history
Century-old hotels in Hinton and Clarksburg, a poor farm near Middlebourne, a Wyoming County church and Wheeling's Capitol Theater are among eight historic structures to make the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia's 2009 Endangered Properties List.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Century-old hotels in Hinton and Clarksburg, a poor farm near Middlebourne, a Wyoming County church and Wheeling's Capitol Theater are among eight historic structures to make the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia's 2009 Endangered Properties List.
Begun in the 1980s and revitalized in recent years, the Endangered Properties List is compiled annually by the Preservation Alliance to direct attention to historic structures that are at risk from neglect or development.
The buildings serve as "testaments to the abilities of West Virginia craftsmen and workers," and are connections to the past that "help weave the story of West Virginia," said Jeremy Morris, vice president of the Preservation Alliance and chairman of its endangered properties committee.
This year's list is diverse, geographically and architecturally, according to Preservation Alliance Director Karen Carper.
"We have a church, a school, two historic hotels, a theater, a bridge, a private home and a historic homeless shelter," she said.
The 2009 Endangered Properties List includes:
Tyler County Poor Farm, also known as the Tyler County Home, near Middlebourne. The three-story, 51-room brick structure, built in 1915, served as a home for the impoverished until the early 1950s, when it became a storage facility for the county fair board and the county emergency services system. A paupers' cemetery with dozens of unmarked graves is located on the poor farm's grounds.
First Ward School in Elkins. Built in 1909 of local building materials, including hand-cut sandstone, locally made bricks and native hardwoods, the school was designed in the Georgian Revival style. It closed in the 1970s, and was used as a school board storage facility before being abandoned several years ago. It has developed a roof leak that is beginning to cause serious damage to the structure.
Wyco Community Church near Mullens. Built in 1917 by coal baron W.T. Tams, the coal-camp church was abandoned in the 1990s and transferred to the Rural Appalachian Improvement League, which plans to restore the structure.
McCreery Hotel in Hinton. When completed in 1908, it was regarded as the premier hotel on the railroad main line stretching from Washington, D.C., to Chicago. Now operated by Human Resources Development and Employment Inc. of Morgantown, the hotel faces restoration challenges brought on by leaks from the deteriorating windows and roof.
Waldo Hotel in Clarksburg. Located in Clarksburg's downtown historic district, the 105-year-old Waldo is in stable, "mothballed" condition, but is threatened by a demolition order from the city, which considers the structure to be a public-safety hazard. A 2007 feasibility study supported redevelopment of the Waldo to its original use as a hotel. The Waldo served as the official residence of Sen. Guy D. Goff, R-W.Va., during his 1925-1931 term in office, and was the site of a 1928 meeting in which a group of conservative Republican senators decided to support Goff over Herbert Hoover as the presidential nominee.CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Century-old hotels in Hinton and Clarksburg, a poor farm near Middlebourne, a Wyoming County church and Wheeling's Capitol Theater are among eight historic structures to make the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia's 2009 Endangered Properties List.
Begun in the 1980s and revitalized in recent years, the Endangered Properties List is compiled annually by the Preservation Alliance to direct attention to historic structures that are at risk from neglect or development.
The buildings serve as "testaments to the abilities of West Virginia craftsmen and workers," and are connections to the past that "help weave the story of West Virginia," said Jeremy Morris, vice president of the Preservation Alliance and chairman of its endangered properties committee.
This year's list is diverse, geographically and architecturally, according to Preservation Alliance Director Karen Carper.
"We have a church, a school, two historic hotels, a theater, a bridge, a private home and a historic homeless shelter," she said.
The 2009 Endangered Properties List includes:
Tyler County Poor Farm, also known as the Tyler County Home, near Middlebourne. The three-story, 51-room brick structure, built in 1915, served as a home for the impoverished until the early 1950s, when it became a storage facility for the county fair board and the county emergency services system. A paupers' cemetery with dozens of unmarked graves is located on the poor farm's grounds.First Ward School in Elkins. Built in 1909 of local building materials, including hand-cut sandstone, locally made bricks and native hardwoods, the school was designed in the Georgian Revival style. It closed in the 1970s, and was used as a school board storage facility before being abandoned several years ago. It has developed a roof leak that is beginning to cause serious damage to the structure.Wyco Community Church near Mullens. Built in 1917 by coal baron W.T. Tams, the coal-camp church was abandoned in the 1990s and transferred to the Rural Appalachian Improvement League, which plans to restore the structure.McCreery Hotel in Hinton. When completed in 1908, it was regarded as the premier hotel on the railroad main line stretching from Washington, D.C., to Chicago. Now operated by Human Resources Development and Employment Inc. of Morgantown, the hotel faces restoration challenges brought on by leaks from the deteriorating windows and roof.Waldo Hotel in Clarksburg. Located in Clarksburg's downtown historic district, the 105-year-old Waldo is in stable, "mothballed" condition, but is threatened by a demolition order from the city, which considers the structure to be a public-safety hazard. A 2007 feasibility study supported redevelopment of the Waldo to its original use as a hotel. The Waldo served as the official residence of Sen. Guy D. Goff, R-W.Va., during his 1925-1931 term in office, and was the site of a 1928 meeting in which a group of conservative Republican senators decided to support Goff over Herbert Hoover as the presidential nominee.Bowers House in Mannington. Built in 1870, the large Queen Anne-style Victorian home was once the residence of state Sen. George W. Bowers, R-Marion, owner of Warwick (USA) China Co., Homewood Glass Co., Bowers Pottery Co., and First Exchange Bank. The home remained in the Bowers family until 2003, and its present owners plan to restore the historic residence.Old Pratt Truss Bridge in Glenville. Built in 1885, this Little Kanawha River span is now decommissioned and in need of maintenance and repair.Capitol Theater, also known as the Capitol Music Hall, in Wheeling. The theater has played a vital role in Wheeling's economy and image since it opened in 1928. For decades, it hosted the Wheeling Jamboree live country music concerts/broadcasts in conjunction with WWVA Radio, served as the home of the Wheeling Symphony and showcased numerous performing arts events.The building was ordered closed in 2007 because of numerous safety and fire code violations. Last week, the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention and Visitors Bureau bought the building for $615,000, and plans to reopen the theater in September with a performance by the Wheeling Symphony.
Carper said her organization recently was awarded a $75,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Partners in the Field program, which will be used to hire an endangered-properties coordinator to work with organizations trying to save the eight historic structures.
The coordinator will help produce redevelopment plans and identify funding sources for preserving the endangered properties.
Several representatives of organizations trying to save and redevelop the endangered structures attended Thursday's announcement of the 2009 list in the state Capitol Building.
"We would like to develop a green, energy-efficiency center" at the Tyler County Poor Farm, said Al Tuttle of Middlebourne, who was among the attendees. In addition to refurbishing the 1915 building in an environmentally friendly, energy-efficient manner, the renovated building could be used as a training center for contractors and area high school students, Tuttle said.
For more information on the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia's Endangered Properties List, visit www.pawv.org.
Reach Rick Steelhammer at rsteelham...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5169.
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Randy Reid Smith must have not got the memo to have these torn down. What will be left if we don't save some of the pre 1900 homes and businesses?