National Park Service Makes Final Decision on Proposed demolitions of historic sites

The National Park Service announced a final decision on their December 2023 proposal to demolish 19 historic buildings in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia. PAWV placed these historic sites on the West Virginia Endangered Properties List in early 2024 and has served as a consulting party with many others to advocate for the saving of these irreplaceable historic sites. Many may remember that the Park proposed 3 options for how to handle these buildings:

• Alternative A: No Action
• Alternative B: Demolish All Proposed Excess Historic Structures (their preferred option)
• Alternative C: Retain Proposed Excess Historic Structures with High Potential for Reuse – this included 3 structures originally (the Marilyn Brown House, the Thurmond Ice House, and the Dun Glen Ark.)

On July 18th, the Park announced that it chose Alternative C with minor modifications to consider 3 other buildings for retention with the option to lease: the Tom Kelly House, the Dun Glen Boat Storage Rack, and the Dun Glen Mini Ark.

The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia is encouraged by the National Park Service’s decision to compromise on the proposed demolitions by retaining and offering leasing opportunities for several historic properties. While we remain disappointed that the Prince Brothers Store and Dun Glen Hotel site were not included in the leasing pool, this outcome represents a meaningful win for public advocacy and historic preservation. The door is now open to save and restore more irreplaceable sites for future generations. We are grateful for this progress and are now focusing our efforts on understanding the leasing process to support the public in developing strong proposals for the rehabilitation and reuse of these important buildings.

​You can read the full decision at the National Park Service's website. ​