A CITIZEN CELEBRATION

By Brenna Craig

Main Street Fairmont hosted a “Citizen Building Celebration” on Thursday, August 11, 2016, in honor of the successful revitalization of the historic Citizen’s Building in downtown Fairmont.

Located in the heart of downtown, across the street from the beautiful Marion County Courthouse on Adams Street, the Citizen Building, was originally built as two storefronts in the 1880s. As one of the oldest buildings in town the building was surprisingly not listed on the National Register as an individual structure. Over the last two years Preserve WV AmeriCorps members Robert Wolfe and Brenna Craig contributing to the project by completing numerous behind-the-scenes tasks, such as section 106 review, promotion, marketing, and finally the renting of the building.

The renovation project began under the leadership of former Main Street Fairmont Executive Director Kate Greene in 2015. “Part of the mission of Main Street Fairmont is historic preservation, so we revitalized the building using historic photographs for the basis of what it looked like originally”, Sandra Scaffidi, Main Street Fairmont board secretary. According to Emily Swain, Main Street Fairmont Interim Executive Director,“The revitalization of this property was a collective effort and has made an immediate and visible impact on Adams Street.”

A ribbon cutting ceremony took place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 11, at 228 and 230 Adams Street. Sen. Joe Manchin, Main Street Yoga owner Angela Hammond, Fairmont City Council members, Marion County Commission members and members of the Main Street Fairmont Board of Directors were all in attendance for the ceremony. In August 2015, Sen. Manchin’s regional office opened as the Citizen Building’s first tenant. “As a Fairmont native, I was thrilled to open an office on Adams Street and be a resource for the people of Fairmont and the surrounding areas,” Senator Manchin said. “Investing in the revitalization of downtown Fairmont leads to economic growth throughout Fairmont, and Marion County and I’m glad to be part of such a thriving, growing community,” Manchin said.

The historic space is now home to Fairmont’s first yoga studio, Main Street Yoga, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin’s Fairmont office, and two residential units.