Two Sites Added to West Virginia Endangered Properties List

The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia has added two significant historic sites to its Endangered Properties List: Mannington Middle School and the Roane County Courthouse Annex. These two sites join the Middleway National Historic District in Jefferson County as the Alliance’s 2025 priority Endangered Properties. These historic sites face various threats, and their inclusion on the list aims to raise awareness and galvanize support for their preservation. 

The newly listed properties are:
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• Mannington Middle School (Mannington, Marion County): This impressive structure, with its unique Victorian Romanesque architectural style, is a significant part of Mannington and the state’s history. It is one of the oldest functional public schools in the state, still owned and operated by the Board of Education (BOE). The firm Franzheim, Giesey and Faris, based in Wheeling, designed the school and, in fact, these three men are responsible for the designs of a majority of Mannington’s historic buildings (as well as West Virginia University’s Woodburn Hall). Millard F. Giesey is often solely credited for the Mannington Public School and was nearing retirement, when construction finished on the school in 1925.  While still functional, the BOE, stretched thin, hopes its inclusion on this list will help with the preservation efforts for this outstanding building (pictured below).

• Roane County Courthouse Annex (Spencer, Roane County):  Built in 1917-1918 originally for the county jail and jailor’s residence, the Roane County Courthouse Annex (pictured below) was designed by Theodore Sansbury, Parkersburg-based architect who also designed the Calhoun County Courthouse, Parkersburg High School, Parkersburg Masonic Temple, and many residences in the Julia-Ann Square Historic District, also in Parkersburg.  Now known as the Annex, it has stood for over 100 years and served a variety of purposes for the county, including as a fire house in the 1950s. Now, it is underutilized and faces potential demolition. Its preservation and reuse would contribute to the revitalization of the downtown, commercial area of Spencer.
  

“These sites represent the rich architecture and diverse history of West Virginia’s public buildings, both being designed by West Virginia’s own architects. Their inclusion on the Endangered Properties List underscores the urgent need to protect these irreplaceable landmarks for future generations. We are committed to working with local communities and stakeholders to find solutions that ensure their preservation,” Danielle Parker, executive director for the Alliance.

Mannington Middle School and the Roane County Courthouse Annex join the Middleway National Historic District as the 2025 West Virginia Endangered Properties. In January, the Alliance added the Middleway National Historic District in Jefferson County to the Endangered Properties List. This remarkably intact rural village, with structures dating back to the 1700s and 1800s, is threatened by a proposed large-scale water bottling facility. The development poses risks to the district's historical, cultural, and environmental integrity. The Jefferson County Commission is scheduled to make a decision on the proposed project on March 11, 2025. 

The Endangered Properties List is a powerful tool used by PAWV to raise awareness about threatened historic sites across the state. Inclusion on the list provides these properties with increased visibility, advocacy support, and access to resources to aid in their preservation.
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PAWV encourages the public to learn more about these endangered sites and get involved in local preservation efforts. In 2024, the Alliance added proposed demolition sites in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Charleston’s Municipal Auditorium, and historic cut stone walls statewide to the list and have been advocating for their preservation through public processes.