8TH ANNUAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

​The Preservation Alliance of WV honored preservationists from across the state during the 8th Annual Historic Preservation Awards Banquet held at Halliehurst Mansion in Elkins on Friday, September 23, 2016.  This year’s event is part of the statewide historic preservation conference “This Place Matters” being held in Beverly and Elkins.  “Historic preservation award recipients are nominated by local community residents and selected through a competitive application process.  The winners are some of the most notable historic preservation projects in the state for 2016,” explained Danielle LaPresta, Executive Director for the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia.

The 2016 Historic Preservation Award Winners are:

Landscape Preservation Award – Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation for the preservation of Rich Mountain Battlefield in Randolph County.

Downtown Preservation Award – MountainPlex Properties for undertaking multiple historic preservation and re-use projects in historic Hinton, including the Ritz Theatre and the McCreery Hotel.

Cultural Preservation Award – Davis and Elkins College for its development of the Center for Railway Tourism and the preservation of multiple historic buildings on campus, including Halliehurst Mansion and Graceland Inn and Conference Center.

Rodney Collins Preservation Achievement Award – Toni Ogden of Lewisburg for her efforts in preserving historic cemeteries.

Preservation Achievement Award – Main Street Ripley for the Alpine Theatre restoration project.

Dr. Emory Kemp Lifetime Achievement Award – Randy Allan of Beverly for his dedication to preserving historic landmarks in Beverly.

For the second year in a row, the Alliance featured two award categories, which also include cash awards to be used for specific preservation projects.  The Preservation Persistence Award was awarded to two separate property stewards that are working diligently to preserve properties on the WV Endangered Properties List.  The Stewardship Award was given to one property steward for exemplifying best preservation practices.  These awards were presented to:

Preservation Persistence Award – Blue Sulphur Springs Pavilion, Greenbrier Historical Society

Preservation Persistence Award – McCoy Fort Project, Williamsburg District Historical Foundation

Stewardship Award – Monroe County Historical Society

“We are fortunate to have so many wonderful individuals and organizations dedicated to preserving and rehabilitating West Virginia’s historic resources,” stated Preservation Alliance of West Virginia board president Sandra Scaffidi. “This evening was our way of recognizing the efforts of our unsung heroes who are making a difference in revitalizing our great state.”

The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia is the statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation.  It is best known for administering the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program and for the annual West Virginia Endangered Properties program.  For more information, visit www.pawv.org.