The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia (PAWV), the state’s leading grassroots nonprofit group dedicated to protecting West Virginia’s irreplaceable historic places, regrettably has decided to place the Downtown Charles Town National Register Historic District in Jefferson County on its Most Endangered Historic Properties List.  

This decision is made after closely monitoring the Jefferson County Commission’s efforts to move county offices and courts to buildings it is in the process of purchasing on the American Public University System campus while openly disrespecting the concerns expressed by the City and the nonprofit Main Street group Charles Town Now (CTN) about the future redevelopment of the 10 historic buildings to be vacated downtown. Those buildings include the Jefferson County Courthouse, a National Historic Landmark, a designation that indicates its significant importance to the nation’s history.

Charles Town, without doubt one of the most historic towns in West Virginia, has invested smartly in economic development efforts that have strengthened the business environment of its historic buildings which in turn helps to protect those buildings and the historic character of the downtown for future generations.   The departure of county government from downtown without beginning aggressive planning and thoughtful coordination now between Jefferson County and Charles Town could have a devastating impact on the Downtown Charles Town National Register Historic District.   The creation and execution of redevelopment plans can take years to fully realize.  

The City and CTN have worked with a nationally qualified planning firm to create a proposed redevelopment study that they are committed to funding without County assistance.  This study will take up to six months to execute. In advance of the May 15 and June 5 Commission meetings, the City and Charles Town Now requested a formal place on the agenda to discuss this proposed study and how to move forward with the collaboration of the County. Unfortunately, the County disregarded their requests and instead announced a loosely defined community discussion on July 17.  

“PAWV has communicated to the Jefferson County Commission that it has an important stewardship responsibility in preserving the historic character of the Charles Town Downtown National Register Historic District and the economic success of downtown. The City and Charles Town Now are offering to create a partnership with the County to smartly plan for the redevelopment of historic buildings that the County will vacate.   PAWV wrote to the County Commissioners in early April to urge them to begin communications with the City and Charles Town Now.  Our staff and statewide Board are deeply distressed that the County has disregarded our request and the plans for collaboration on redevelopment plans offered by the City and Charles Town Now.   The future of the Charles Town Downtown National Register Historic District deserves much better and it is for that reason that we are placing the district on the West Virginia Most Endangered Historic Properties List.   Our hope is that this listing will resonate with the County and the residents of Jefferson County that collaboration and coordination are needed to ensure a smooth transition for the district,” commented PAWV Executive Director Danielle Parker.    

​Three interesting historic properties have become available in Lewisburg’s Downtown Historic District. A Sears kit house that has been on PAWV’s endangered list for several years, is available for free to someone who will move or disassemble it. Built in the early 1920s, it is an early version of The Westly, one of Sears most popular homes. A professional house mover has checked out the house and is confident it can be readily moved.

​Across the street from New River Community and Technical College and next to the Old Stone Church is McElhenney Lodge. It provided a dormitory, faculty housing, offices and a recreation center for Greenbrier College. The oldest part of the complex is a 19th century brick house with cement block additions.

​The third offering is the old Greenbrier Dairy building that housed a True Value hardware store for many years. The property includes a large lot and a warehouse in central Lewisburg. 

​Each of these properties should qualify for historic preservation tax credits. The Lewisburg Historic Landmarks Commission is involved in efforts to save and restore these buildings. More information is available by contacting Commissioner Skip Deegans at 304-646-8475 or [email protected].

The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia has announced that the Davis Coal and Coke Company Administrative Building just south of the historic River Street District of Thomas has been recognized as a significant endangered historic building for 2019.

It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 because of its importance as the Tucker County headquarters of the company founded by legendary railroad and coal magnate Senator Henry Gassaway Davis from 1900 until 1950. The Alliance is adding it to the West Virginia Endangered Properties List because it has been sitting vacant since the 1980s and is structurally failing.

In 1995, the City of Thomas assumed the building and has been able to maintain the exterior walls and roof but not the structural problems inside the building. The Friends of Blackwater took an interest in the building and has partnered with the City of Thomas and Vandalia Heritage Foundation to seek additional funding. The future is looking bright. In July 2019, the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office granted $29,100 to Vandalia Heritage to replace joists on the first floor and repair a structural wall in the building.

There are still many unknowns, and the Friends of Blackwater are looking to bring more attention to this important project by nominating it to the West Virginia Endangered Properties List. The current plan is for the City to enter into a long term lease with the Vandalia Heritage Foundation to redevelop the building, but no actuals plans are in place, making this project still unsecure. The Friends of Blackwater initiated this endangered properties recognition process on behalf of the City of Thomas and has solicited the assistance of the Preservation Alliance for historic preservation technical assistance, as well as applied for grant funding to develop an adaptive reuse plan for the building. The mostly likely redevelopment path for the building would be to have retail space on the main floor, with offices or residential space on the second floor and in the attic. You can donate to this project by visiting, https://saveblackwater.org/donate/.
 
The West Virginia Endangered Properties List is a collection of historical resources in danger of being lost. The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia is the statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation in our Mountain State. It maintains the West Virginia Endangered Properties List and administers the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program. For more information contact Danielle LaPresta Parker, 304-345-6005  [email protected]  

We very seldom ask you to support a particular historic preservation effort, as there are so many worthwhile and deserving projects in West Virginia, but we’re making an exception with this message for an Endangered Property. For 80 years the Homestead School and community center has been the beating heart of the Tygart Valley Homestead community in Randolph County, WV. Created by Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program to provide housing and work for unemployed coal miners and others who lost their jobs in the great Depression, the community helped people gain home ownership through sweat equity. Descendents of many of the original Homesteaders still live in the community today, and have for years supported the school through our Tygart Valley Homestead Association. The unique architecture and historic importance of the community led to its being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as “Tygart Valley Homesteads Historic District.”

Declining enrollment and budgetary problems resulted in deferring much needed upkeep, and eventually led to the County Board of Education placing the Homestead School on its closure list. The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia in 2016 named the school a significant Endangered Property .A determined community effort led by the Tygart Valley Homestead Association convinced the Board of Education to rescind the closure decision, but shortly after this victory a freak windstorm damaged the school building to the point that the school system determined it was no longer safe for student occupancy. 

This was a major setback, but we of the Tygart Valley Homestead Association didn’t give up, and convinced the powers that be to turn the building over to us for a token payment. We managed to raise enough money to get the roof fixed, and have done major upgrades to the school’s electrical system, but now we are faced with a daunting project: bringing the school building back up to standard so it can continue to serve as a community center.
The number one item on our priority list is to bring the restrooms up to modern standards – some of the 80 year old original fixtures are still in place. Donate at gofundme.com/homesteadcommunitycenter

PAWV is accepting nominations for the 2018 West Virginia Endangered Properties List.  Nomination forms are available here (MSWord). Nominations are due at 5pm on Friday, March 16, 2018, to [email protected]. 

Guidelines for the nomination process include the following:
​
Criteria
1)There must be a degree of endangerment from one or more of the following:

• Neglect
• Proposed demolition
• Rezoning or redevelopment
• Other human or environmental factors, such as recent storm, fire, or flood damage

 
2)      The property must be listed in, or be eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places.
•    Properties not listed in the National Register of Historic Places (as either an individual site or a contributing structure in a historic district) must submit a completed Historic Property Inventory Form to the WV State Historic Preservation Office to determine eligibility. The form is available at: http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/forms.html
•    Once the property is deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, please submit both the Historic Property Inventory Form and the documentation of eligibility as part of your Endangered Properties Nomination.
 
3)There must be evidence of significant local support for preservation of the property, including three (3) letters of support.
 
Process

• A separate nomination form must be submitted for each nomination, but organizations or individuals may submit more than one nomination per year.
• Selections will be determined by the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia based on historic, cultural, and/or architectural factors - as well as preservation feasibility, degree of local support, and risk of loss.

 
Timeline
March 16 - Application deadline at 5:00pm to [email protected]
March 23 - If you have not received a confirmation from our office that your application has arrived, call 304-345-6005 to inquire.
March 30 - PAWV Endangered Properties committee meets to review nominations- You may be contacted by PAWV staff to schedule an initial site visit as part of the review process, or to request clarifications or additional materials. Please make sure there is someone at your contact number/email to receive and answer questions or provide materials, if necessary.  
April 27 - Applicants will be notified of their status in regard to the nomination.
May - Special announcement and press conference for the West Virginia Endangered Properties List at a date and location to be determined.

​The West Virginia Endangered Properties List is a collection of historic resources that are in danger of being lost, although they are good re-use candidates for their communities. The goal of this program is to encourage property owners to rehabilitate their properties while preserving our shared heritage.

The alliance revived its endangered list program in 2009 with a competitive nomination process and with technical assistance provided to the stewards of the selected properties. Technical assistance includes on-site visits from experts, guidance in preservation projects and assistance in organizing clean-up days, hands-on workshops, or other skilled preservation activities.

Learn more about the properties that were formerly on the endangered list but have graduated to saved at http://www.pawv.org/endanger/category/status-saved. To talk more about this program, contact Anna Lynn Stasick at [email protected] or by calling 304-685-8119.

Updates compiled by Mercy Klein, Preserve WV AmeriCorps

Each year, PAWV announces the West Virginia Endangered Properties List – a collection of historic resources at risk of being lost to neglect, demolition, and other human and environmental factors.  PAWV works with stewards of each property to help improve and save the property so it can be reused. Preservation projects usually take several years to complete, and they need continued support after the initial listing.  In the spirit of “Where are they now” updates, PAWV is doing a post about how the endangered properties’ projects are progressing.  Projects featured in this post (listed alphabetically) include Blue Sulphur Springs Pavilion, Homestead School, the historic Jenkins House, Old Esso Station, and Old Fayetteville High School.

• The spring box was repaired and made water tight.
• The brick columns were stabilized (with a stucco base coat having been applied, followed by Sika wrap to strengthen the columns, and then that having been overlaid with a final coat of stucco).
• The one leaning column was straightened and standing on its own.
• The interior of the pavilion was excavated and leveled.
• A new drainage system was installed to drain the spring into the nearby Kitchen Creek.
• A back flow drain was installed to prevent muddied waters from flowing back to the spring box in the event of rising water from Kitchen Creek.

The engineering design for the new drainage system was approved by the Army Corps of Engineers and the WV Division of Natural Resources.   All the excavation work conducted in the interior pavilion and for the drainage system was overseen by an archaeologist. During the interior pavilion excavation, the original wood floor of the pavilion was located – as well as what is believed to be the original spring drain.  However, the wood floor was left covered as it was below the level of the planned excavation.

Fundraising for the next phase of restoration will begin in 2017.  The next phase will include repairing and waterproofing the foundation, installing a new floor and a roof, and other finishing touches.  There are also hopes to get the community, politicians, and organizations involved in developing a “springs trail” in the area.
Friends of the Blue and GHS have worked tirelessly at making this restoration project possible, and their efforts were recognized in September 2016 by the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia with its annual Preservation Persistence Award.

https://www.facebook.com/BlueSulphurSprings

There is special criteria to be identified as a WV Endangered Property. Each property must be listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; suffer from a demonstrable preservation emergency; and maintain owner and local support for the re-use of the property in the respective community.  Owner support is necessary because it’s the first step to ensuring the preservation process begins.  It is PAWV’s goal to encourage owners to turn these properties into viable contributors to WV’s economy.  Properties that were formerly on the endangered list but have graduated to saved include the First Ward School in Elkins and the Quarrier Diner in Charleston.

We hope you will take a look around your community for an historic building that is in need of attention, rehabilitation, speaks to the history of the community, has great potential to be re-purposed to serve community needs, and is of more value saved than destroyed.  If you know of such a building, please consider taking the time to submit a nomination for the property.

Nominations forms and additional information on Endangered Properties nominations can be found here.

For more information on West Virginia Endangered Properties and a list of current Endangered Properties in West Virginia, please visit http://www.pawv.org/endanger.htm or contact PAWV’s Preserve WV AmeriCorps member, Mercy Klein, at [email protected].

Happy Retreat was named a West Virginia Endangered Property in 2010 after being threatened by demolition due to development pressures in the area. PAWV is excited to share the tremendous progress the Friends of Happy Retreat has made in the last year.  It was listed as West Virginia’s first National Treasure under the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  The National Treasures “program demonstrates the value of preservation by taking direct action to protect cherished places and promote their history and significance.” Fewer than 75 places in this nation have been selected as National Treasures. Other National Treasures include Nashville’s Music Row, Theodore Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch, the Houston Astrodome, the Grand Canyon, the historic Woodlawn estate adjacent to Mount Vernon, and The National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Happy Retreat also demonstrated its value as a community resource this year as volunteers came together to host a highly-successful craft beer and music festival. Over 1,500 people braved the 94 degree heat to enjoy the day’s events.  Happy Retreat is planning to host the same event in 2017.

Updates compiled by Mercy Klein, Preserve WV AmeriCorps

Each year, PAWV announces the West Virginia Endangered Properties List – a collection of historic resources at risk of being lost to neglect, demolition, and other human and environmental factors.  PAWV works with stewards of each property to help improve and save the property so it can be reused.  Preservation projects usually take several years to complete, and they need continued support after the initial listing.  In the spirit of “Where are they now” updates, PAWV is doing a post about how the endangered properties’ projects are progressing.  Projects featured in this post (listed alphabetically) include the Ananias Pitsenbarger Farm, Wheeling’s Blue Church, Feagans Mill, 1400 Block of Wheeling’s Market Street, Margaret Manson Weir Memorial Pool, Staats Hospital, and the Tyler County “Poor Farm” Home.