Clendenin Middle School

Clendenin, Kanawha County

2011 Update: Clendenin Middle School, built in 1912, housed the high school until 1936 when it then became the middle school until 2000. The Middle School was listed to Preservation Alliance of West Virginia’s 2002 Endangered Property’s List. In 2004, the school board district donated the building to the local economic development group 25045 - A New Clendenin. In September 2010, officials broke ground to begin an extensive renovation lead by Kentucky-based developers AU Associates that would convert the building into 18 one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors and the second floor into a health clinic for Cabin Creek Health Care System. On October 26, 2011, the renovated Riverview at Clendenin officially opened thanks in part to not only AU Associates and the non-profit group 25045 – A New Clendenin but also to Terrell Ellis and Associates. This project was awarded $1 million in state and federal historic tax credits as well as a slew of state and federal funds. ​

​2002: Completed in 1912, Clendenin Middle School was originally known as the Big Sandy District High School. This building attests to the early twentieth century growth of public education in the state. The town of Clendenin was the first community in West Virginia to take advantage of a new law allowing Boards of Education to sell bonds for school construction. For the sum of $35,000, the Board of Education built a marvelous Neo-Classical Revival building that represented the aspirations of a growing community. In 1996, the school was listed on the National Register as part of the Clendenin Historic District. In 2002, the school closed its doors and remained vacant and for sale until August 2004, when the school board donated it to a local economic development group, A New Clendenin, formed in 2003 to revitalize the historic town. The majestic old school building will be incorporated as an integral part of their effort.