The renovation to the main entrance at John Marshall High School.
Photo by Silling Architects.
Photo by Brad Feinknopf.
BEFORE
was originally used as a post office and then as an automobile
dealership before sitting vacant for two decades.
To begin the renovation, the city partnered with Warrior
Creek Development, a nonprofit social enterprise that pro-
vides jobs to unemployed youth by teaching them construction
skills. The team from Warrior Creek Development, along with
The Thrasher Group, transformed the building into a spacious
lobby with private offices, along with a large exhibition space
that features exposed brick walls.
“The most unique response from visitors is that there is
nothing else like this in McDowell County,” says Ann Turley,
director of the Jack Caffrey Arts and Cultural Center. “It reminds
them of something they might see in New York or Chicago.”
The newly renovated cultural center is open daily to the public
and provides offices for rent, a space for local artisans to display
their work and a place for community members to hold meet-
ings, celebrations and workshops. Since opening in spring
2018, there have been 31 events with over 568 participants.
J. Edward Kelley Complex
When the West Virginia National Guard armory in Keyser,
WV, closed and the 201st Artillery Unit moved out, nearby
West Virginia University (WVU) Potomac State College
obtained the facility with the purpose of converting it into a
student recreation center and a home for the WVU School of
Nursing’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that will
begin on the Keyser campus in fall 2019.
The armory, which was built in 1963, is now being utilized
to enhance the collegiate experience at WVU Potomac State
College. Completed by Montum Architecture, LLC, the new
J. Edward Kelley Complex, named in honor of a local World
War II hero, includes a gymnasium, indoor walking track,
weight and cardiovascular equipment rooms and a workout
studio available to faculty, staff and students.
Additionally, high-tech simulation labs and classrooms have
been implemented for nursing students. The building received
new interior finishes and windows throughout, as well as
updated heating and cooling, electrical and lighting systems.
John Marshall High School
Promoting student creativity, collaboration and interaction
was at the heart of the renovations made to John Marshall High
AFTER
School in Glen Dale, WV. The building, which has seen thou-
sands of students come and go, had not undergone any major
updates since its original construction in 1968. Members of
the Marshall County Board of Education saw a need to move
the school into the modern era of learning and saw renovation
as an opportunity to improve the school’s identity and safety.
The renovation project, completed by JD&E Contractors
& Engineers, Grae-Con Construction Inc., H.E. Neumann
Company, ERB Electric, Inc. and Silling Architects, represents a
transformational architectural design solution. The reimagining
of the campus includes a new three-story main entrance, relocat-
ed administrative offices, a secondary entrance to serve the per-
forming arts and athletics building and a two-story circulation
element that brings together the disconnected educational spaces.
The interior revisions allow for a larger social commons
area, a modern food court space and a new research and media
center surrounded by fully renovated classrooms, laboratory
spaces and renovations to the performing arts building.
“The community is very proud of John Marshall High School
and the high level of preparedness of the students who graduate
from the school,” says Brian Estep, senior project manager at
Silling Architects. “The renovations better align the buildings
with the curriculum and will allow the school to continue its
excellence in education for many more decades.”
Masontown’s Elkins Coal and Coke Building
In 1908, after the development of the railroad in Masontown,
WV, production began on the Elkins Coal and Coke Company
complex. Perched on a terrace overlooking Deckers Creek, the
building sits at what is now the Masontown Trailhead and is
the only structure still standing from the original complex that
included multiple office, storage and maintenance buildings
for the 140 coke ovens in operation nearby.
Established by Stephen Elkins, a baron of West Virginia’s
coal industry, the facility was in operation until 1920 and
permanently shut down in the 1980s. After sitting empty for
nearly four decades, the Romanesque-style stone building was
listed on the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia’s Endan-
gered Property List.
With the rail trail nearby and no restroom facilities for users,
the Mon River Trails Conservancy became the sponsor for a
grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational
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