Nominations being accepted for the West Virginia Historic Theater Trail

The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia announces an open application period for the West Virginia Historic Theater Trail.

The Trail was born in 2010 following a 2007 Preserve America grant award to the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office, in partnership with the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia (PAWV), to develop statewide thematic tours to encourage heritage tourism in communities throughout the state. From live performances venues to cinema, all of the Trail’s theaters are listed in, or have been officially determined eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places – the official list of the nation’s historic places deemed worthy of preservation by the National Park Service. The Trail promotes the rehabilitation and sustainable operation of our state’s historic theaters for the enjoyment of the public. 

During the pandemic, the Trail went inactive, as did many of the theaters listed on it. Now, in 2024, the Alliance has seen an increase in interest in the revitalization of the Trail, and in response, is soliciting new nominations as well as updating the website dedicated to the Trail: https://wvhistorictheaters.com/. This is the main public presence of the Trail and is administered by the Alliance. It contains historic theater resources, informational pages on each member theater; and overarching Google Maps and theater trip itineraries broken up by region of the state. The Trail’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/wvhistorictheaters/) is where the Alliance shares member theaters’ events and posts relevant news articles about the Trail.

Applications for the Trail are being accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants can work with Jamie Billman, Preservation Manager for the Alliance, and theaters will be added to the Trail pending approval by a review committee.  The application can be found at https://forms.gle/AvN3TJU38HS63wP78

PAWV is the statewide grassroots organization supporting historic preservation in the Mountain State. Since 1982, the nonprofit has been working to preserve West Virginia's precious historical resources for the benefit of present and future generations. 

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