WASHINGTON - A recent federal grant will help turn aging buildings in several northern West Virginia communities into focal points for future economic development.
Spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va., a $4.9 million grant will enable several of the area's historic preservation groups to better promote historical revitalization efforts.
Mollohan said the grant will allow the critical steps to be taken in order to ensure economic prosperity in northern West Virginia communities.
"All across northern West Virginia we see historic structures that have fallen into despair," he said. "Many of them once served as centerpieces of their communities. Through neglect, however, they've often become modern-day liabilities."
Last fall Mollohan placed the grant in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2001 spending bill. On March 22 HUD officials announced the grant had been approved and would be released for use.
"The funding that I have set aside will help to restore them (these buildings) as community assets, as facilities that serve modern needs and spur new activity in our local communities," Mollohan said.
Roughly $1 million will help fund the continued renovation of Morgamown's Metropolitan Theatre Preservation Foundation. The foundation has been restoring the 1924 historic building for several years so that it may once again host various cultural programs and bring additional economic activity to the downtown district.
Also, approximately $4 million will be used to finance revitalization efforts on seven northern West Virginia structures to which the Vandalia Heritage Foundation, which Mollohan created, has committed.
The Vandalia foundation, formed in 1998, is a non-profit organization designed to promote the region's historic preservation. It was created as a way to provide communitybased groups with the needed support to restore local structures.
Mollohan said often times rural communities lack financial and technical resources which prohibits historical redevelopment.
"Many of our rural communities want to breathe new life into their commercial and residential areas, but lack the administrative ... resources needed to make it happen. I initiated the foundation ... as a way to help bring financing and technical expertise to local groups that are working to redevelop historic structures in their communities."
Some of the Vandalia foundation's projects include the revitalization of the B&O Railroad Station and Willard Hotel in Grafton as well as the Cottrill Opera House in Thomas.
The Vandalia foundation and city officials have joined efforts to renovate both the B&O Railroad Station and Willard Hotel for adaptive reuse.
The organization plans to preserve the exteriors of both buildings while utilizing the interiors to accommodate local business, community and government activities.
Also, the Vandalia foundation has joined Alpine Heritage Preservation, a Tucker County-based preservation group, and Thomas city officials to restore the 1902 Cottrill Opera House. The Cottrill Opera House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Alpine Heritage, which owns the building, plans to reuse the facility as a live performance theater.
In addition to the Vandalia foundation, Mollohan also established the Vandalia Redevelopment Corp.
With a four-member board of directors, the non-profit organization assumes the actual renovation and redevelopment of projects chosen by the Vandalia foundation.
The grant also will be applied to the following Vandalia projects located in northern West Virginia:
* Adaland Mansion, Barbour County;
* Arthurdale, Preston County;
* Carskadon Mansion, Mineral County;
* McGrew House and Preston Academy, Preston County; and
* Waldo Hotel, Harrison County.
More information about the Vandalia Heritage Foundation is available on the Internet at http://www.vandalia.org.
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