Charleston Historic Landmarks Commission

NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. 1. Name of Property Historic name: __Downtown Charleston Historic District (Additional Documentation) Other names/site number: ___________ Name of related multiple property listing:__n/a______________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 2. Location Street & number: _Roughly bounded by Washington Street East, Leon Sullivan Way, Kanawha Boulevard, and Summers Street.__________________________ City or town: _Charleston____ State: __West Virginia____ County: _Kanawha___ Not For Publication: n/a Vicinity: n/a ____________________________________________________________________________ 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property _X meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: ___national ___statewide _X__local Applicable National Register Criteria: _X__A ___B _X__C ___D Signature of certifying official/Title: Date ______________________________________________ State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official: Date Title : State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) _____________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ____________________________________________________________________________ 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private: X Public – Local X Public – State Public – Federal Category of Property (Check only one box.) Building(s) District X Site Structure Object Section 1-6 page 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing _____119_______ ____ 32_______ buildings ______ 1_______ _____________ sites _______1______ _____________ structures _______2______ _____________ objects _____123_______ ______32_______ Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register __7_____ 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) Additional Documentation buildings only __COMMERCE/Business __RELIGION/Gymnasium and social hall Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) Additional Documentation buildings only __COMMERCE/Business __RELIGION/Classrooms and social hall __WORK IN PROGRESS: DOMESTIC/Multiple Dwelling ___________________________________________________________________________ 7. Description Architectural Classification Additional Documentation buildings only (Enter categories from instructions.) _MODERN MOVEMENT/International Style _MODERN MOVEMENT/Miesian Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Additional Documentation buildings only Principal exterior materials of the property: Foundation: not visible (below grade) Walls: METAL/Aluminum (Resources 76, 96) Walls: GLASS (Resources 76, 96) Walls: CONCRETE (Resource 76) Walls: BRICK (Resource 79 Roof: not visible (flat roofs) Section 7 page 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______________________________________________________________________________ Introduction The original Downton Charleston Historic District National Register nomination (listed March 24, 2006, NR #06000166) included an area of about 43 acres roughly bounded by Washington Street East, Leon Sullivan Way on the south, Kanawha Boulevard on the west, and Summers Street on the north. The boundaries of the existing historic district are not being changed. The 2006 National Register nomination included 165 total resources. There were 129 contributing resources: 125 contributing buildings, 1 contributing site, 1 contributing structure, and 2 contributing objects. There were 36 noncontributing buildings. The resources included primarily commercial buildings, along with a small number of government, religious, and education related buildings. The 2006 nomination used a period of significance of c.1877-1956. The c.1877 date represented the Eva Smith Building, believed to be the oldest standing resource in the historic district. The 1956 date represented the National Register program’s 50-year cut-off date for a nomination listed in 2006. The selection of the 50-year cut-off standard implied that development continued within the historic district’s boundaries after 1956. The post-1956 buildings could reach significance, but the resources were not 50 years of age, the customary age for assessing National Register eligibility, when the 2006 nomination was listed. Since the 2006 nomination, the architectural and historic integrity of the historic district has remained intact. The buildings maintain their integrity of design, materials, and workmanship, along with retaining the setting and association representing downtown Charleston. In addition, the 2006 boundaries continue to define the historic resources in the downtown Charleston core. This additional documentation project completes several objectives. First, it extends the Period of Significance to 1974, the National Register program’s 50-year cut-off date for a nomination listed in 2024. The revision of the end of the Period Significance from 1956 to 1974 will recognize the significance of resources constructed during that time period, reflecting both National Register Criteria A and C. Second, the resource inventory is being updated to change contributing/noncontributing status where needed due to the revised end date of the Period of Significance. Third, the resource inventory is being updated to document building demolitions and new building construction that has occurred since the 2006 nomination. The result of these Section 7 page 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number changes is that the percentage of contributing buildings compared to all buildings in the historic district has remained steady at just under 80%. The following table is a summary of the changes in the resource inventory. All categories listed in the first column of the table are then discussed in detail. Downtown Charleston Historic District Charleston, West Virginia Resource Count Revision Contribu�ng Noncontribu�ng Contribu�ng Contribu�ng Contribu�ng Previously Buildings Buildings Sites Structures Objects Listed Original NRN 125 36 1 1 2 7 2006 Note 1: 2006 Nomina�on Count 0 -1 Correc�on (Resource 155) Note 2: 2006 Nomina�on Count -1 +1 Correc�on (Resource 107) Status change: Noncontribu�ng to Contribu�ng +3 -3 due to revised Period of Significance Demoli�on -8 -3 New 0 +2 Construc�on Final NRN 2024 Addi�onal 119 32 1 1 2 7 Documenta�on Section 7 page 5 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Note 1: 2006 Nomination Resource Count Correction Resource 155, located at about 708 Virginia St., was described as an 18-story office tower. The nomination listed the building as noncontributing with a construction date of 1969. This office tower was constructed on the opposite side of the street (south side) at 707 Virginia St., outside of the historic district boundaries. The 2006 nomination resource map shows Resources 154- 155-156 as three separate, abutting resources on the north side of Virginia St. Resource 155 did not actually exist. Resource 154 (2003, 700 Virginia St., 4-story commercial building) and Resource 156 (2004, 710 Virginia St., 2-story parking garage) occupy the available space on the north side of Virginia St. See Note 1 row in above table. This correction decreases the number of noncontributing buildings in 2006 by one. The 2024 resource map has removed Resource 155, retaining Resources 154 and 156. Note 2: 2006 Nomination Resource Count Correction Resource 107 was described as a one-story brick commercial building with a recessed garage bay and a modem storefront consisting of an entrance and several display windows. The nomination listed the building as contributing with a construction date of c.1965, which was a decade after the Period of Significance ended (1956). It is likely that Resource 107 should have been labelled “noncontributing” in the 2006 nomination. See Note 2 row in above table. This correction decreases the number of contributing buildings in 2006 by one and increases the number of noncontributing buildings in 2006 by one. Subsequent to the 2006 nomination, Resource 107 was demolished and has been subtracted from the resource count as part of “Demolition – Noncontributing Buildings.” The 2024 resource map has removed Resource 107. Note 3: Date Revision of 1000 Virginia Street East (Resource 163) Resource 163 was described in the 2006 nomination with a construction date of “c.1970” and a status of “noncontributing.” The construction date is incorrect. The building is much older. The corrected date for the resource is “c.1910, 1967.” The status remains noncontributing, therefore there is no change to the resource count in the above table. Property history documentation: The 1907 Sanborn map shows a two-story brick building identified as a “livery” (1002 Virginia Street East), plus a single-family house (1004 Virginia Street East) at the property location. 1 The 1912 Sanborn map shows a three-story brick building identified as “storefronts” with an address of 1002- 04 Virginia Street East. 2 The 1912 Sanborn map also carries the notation “from plans,” indicating a recent construction project. The three-story building may have incorporated several walls from the earlier livery. Uses in subsequent decades included the publication office of The Charleston Daily 1 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, Sanborn Map Company, April 1907, sheet 14. Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn09394_006/. Accessed December 2023. 2 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, Sanborn Map Company, 1912, sheet 15. Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn09394_007/. Accessed December 2023. Section 7 page 6 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Mail, vehicle storage, repair garage, and public parking. 3 Center College purchased the property in 1966, moved from 1027 Virginia Street East (demolished), and substantially altered the building for classroom and administrative space. 4 The façade walls on McFarland Street and Virginia Street East were replaced, losing their c.1910 architectural characteristics. This loss of architectural integrity makes the building not eligible for the National Register. Status change: Noncontributing to Contributing due to revised Period of Significance Resource 76 Contributing 1012 Kanawha Boulevard Historic Name: Heck’s, Inc. Current Name: multiple office tenants Date of Construction: 1967 5 Architect: Stanley Kasindorf, Meyer and Kasindorf, Great Neck, NY 6 Contractor: E. L. Harris and Son, Inc., Charleston, WV 7 Photo 1 This Miesian style, 5-story, flat roof building is raised one story above grade on round concrete pilotis. The ground level consists of parking spaces, plus enclosures for entrances and mechanical spaces, constructed of variegated red brick in a stretcher bond pattern. The entire façade on the 2nd through 4th floors is a curtain wall, consisting of alternating rows of narrow medium gray windows and dark gray spandrels, all set within a brick and concrete frame forming the building’s edges. The remaining three elevations are clad in precast concrete panels 8 resembling rough-faced white brick in a stretcher bond pattern. The north elevation is a solid wall, while the horizontality of the east and south elevations is punctuated by symmetrically spaced vertical rows of narrow clear windows and medium gray spandrels. The small 5th floor penthouse, clad in red variegated brick, has a curtain wall west elevation matching the façade below. The building maintains the integrity of its design, materials, and workmanship, conveys the original purpose for which it was constructed, and retains its setting and association as part of downtown Charleston. 3 Charlie Connor, “Center College Acquiring 3-Story Parking Structure,” The Charleston Daily Mail, September 24, 1966, p. 1. 4 “Center College Announces Seventh Annual Winter Term, Sunday Mail Gazette, January 8, 1967, p. 45; “How New Center College Will Look,” The Charleston Daily Mail, May 10, 1967, p. 13. 5 “Heck’s Will Erect Boulevard Building,” The Charleston Daily Mail, December 31, 1966, p. 5. 6 “Heck’s Will Erect Boulevard Building,” The Charleston Daily Mail, December 31, 1966, p. 5. 7 “Heck’s Will Erect Boulevard Building,” The Charleston Daily Mail, December 31, 1966, p. 5. 8 “Heck’s Office Building Framework Rises,” The Charleston Daily Mail, July 29, 1967, p. 4. Section 7 page 7 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Resource 79 Contributing 1116 Kanawha Blvd. (Kanawha Boulevard and Leon Sullivan Way) Historic Name: First Presbyterian Church Gym and Activity Center Current Name: First Presbyterian Activities Building Date of Construction: 1958 9 Architect: Greife and Daley, Charleston, WV 10 Contractor: R. H. Hewitt, Charleston, WV 11 Photo 2 This building is representative of the Modern Movement, forgoing ornamentation and instead emphasizing massing and changes in wall planes to organize the design, as well as creating decorative effects originating from a straightforward application of materials. It is a two-story, flat-roofed building with a metal coping that has buff brick walls laid in a common bond pattern with Flemish bond every sixth course. The Kanawha Boulevard elevation (west) has eleven bays separated by rectangular brick piers. The deeply recessed wall plane of each bay consists of two metal-framed transom windows above four metal-framed casement windows. The wall area below each window assembly is stone-veneered. A low, stone-capped decorative brick screen wall extends the width of the elevation. The Leon Sullivan Way elevation (north) consists of eight recessed bays in the same design as the Kanawha Blvd. elevation, flanked by a section of solid brick wall on each end. The same low, stone-capped decorative brick screen wall extends below the six easternmost recessed bays. Each of the two westernmost recessed bays contain original metal-framed, glass, double-leaf, entrance doors with full-height glass sidelights. Above the entrance doors, the two bays are topped with a flat-roofed canopy. The south elevation has a projecting, one-story, flat-roofed, glass vestibule. Seven slightly recessed bays have narrow horizontal windows just below the roofline. The east elevation is windowless. Low, stone- capped brick planters flank the Kanawha Blvd. driveway. The building maintains the integrity of its design, materials, and workmanship, conveys the original purpose for which it was constructed, and retains its setting and association as part of downtown Charleston. Resource 96 Contributing 901 Lee Street Historic Name: National Bank of Commerce Current Name: 900 on Lee (apartments) Date of Construction: 1967-1968 12 9 Activities building dedication, The Charleston Daily Mail, September 1, 1958, p. 10. 10 Activities building dedication, The Charleston Daily Mail, September 1, 1958, p. 10. 11 Activities building dedication, The Charleston Daily Mail, September 1, 1958, p. 10. 12 “Bank Employees Due Key Roles In Groundbreaking,” The Charleston Daily Mail, February 13, 1967, p. 15; Charlie Connor, “Commerce Square To Open in Dec.,” The Charleston Daily Mail, November 13, 1968, p. 29. Section 7 page 8 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Architect: C.E. Silling & Associates, Charleston, WV 13 General Contractor: National Bank of Commerce, Charleston, WV 14 Construction Consultant: Kenhill Construction, Charleston, WV 15 Photo 3 The property consists of a 16-story International Style office tower and an attached parking garage. Each office tower elevation consists of fifteen bays of curtain wall construction with tinted windows and dark spandrels. Wide vertical marble bands extend the full height of the building at the elevation corners and divide each elevation into three primary sections. Narrow vertical marble bands extending the full building height separate the remaining bays on the elevations. A louvered screen conceals roof-mounted equipment. On the façade (Lee St., north elevation), the central elevation section consists of polished, mottled taupe granite panels. Each façade corner at ground level has a recessed entrance. Mounted on the granite at the second story level is a bas relief bronze sculpture that is original to the building: Man Wrests From The Earth Its Natural Resources To Build Pathways To The Stars, designed by Milton Horn (1906-1995). Recessed from the façade on the east and west elevations are narrow, flat-roofed, two-story pavilions. The white marble-clad structural elements have a post-and-beam design, with the bays infilled with metal-framed, fixed glass panels. Behind the office tower is a six-story concrete parking garage. The marble-clad post-and-beam design motif of the pavilions is repeated an additional six times, extending in front of the garage elevations. The building maintains the integrity of its design, materials, and workmanship, conveys the original purpose for which it was constructed, and retains its setting and association as part of downtown Charleston. Demolition – Contributing Buildings Resource 51 – 208-218 Dickinson St. (c.1930, commercial bldg.) Resource 55 – Dunbar St. between Quarrier and Lee Sts. (c.1924, commercial bldg.) Resource 56 – Dunbar St. between Quarrier and Lee Sts. (c.1925, commercial bldg.) Resource 83 – 1114 Kanawha Blvd. (c.1905, carriage house) Resource 103 – 209 Leon Sullivan Way (c.1928, commercial bldg.) Resource 104 – 210 Leon Sullivan Way (c.1908, residence) Resource 112 – 108 McFarland St. (c.1935, commercial bldg.) Resource 113 – McFarland St. between Virginia and Quarrier Sts. (c.1928, commercial bldg.) 13 “Bank Employees Due Key Roles In Groundbreaking,” The Charleston Daily Mail, February 13, 1967, p. 15. 14 “Bank Employees Due Key Roles In Groundbreaking,” The Charleston Daily Mail, February 13, 1967, p. 15. 15 “Bank Employees Due Key Roles In Groundbreaking,” The Charleston Daily Mail, February 13, 1967, p. 15. Section 7 page 9 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Demolition – Noncontributing Buildings Resource 82 – 1114 Kanawha Blvd. (c.1970, garage) Resource 107 – 213 Leon Sullivan Way (c.1965, commercial bldg.) (see Note 2 above). Resource 157 – 813 Virginia St. (c.1930, commercial bldg.) New Construction Two buildings have been constructed in the historic district since the 2006 nomination. The 2006 nomination resource numbering reached 170. These two new buildings use the next numbers in sequence, 171 and 172. Both resources have been added to the 2024 resource map. Resource 171 Noncontributing 204 Leon Sullivan Way Original Name: Sacred Heart Pavilion and Early Learning Center Current Name: Sacred Heart Pavilion and Early Learning Center Date of Construction: 2011-2012 16 This one-story flat-roofed building was constructed as a day-care facility with a gymnasium. The one-story section of the building has walls of five different color bricks laid in a variegated pattern, cast stone window surrounds, and aluminum-framed windows. The entrance area on Leon Sullivan Way, adjacent to a pick-up/drop-off lane, has a flat-roofed metal canopy. The taller portion of the building, designed to appear as two-stories in height, is a gymnasium. The Leon Sullivan Way elevation has ten bays. The upper wall portion is clad in the same brick as the other section of the building, while the lower wall portion is faced with cast stone panels. The central five bays are designed as blind arches (lower portion) or blind rectangular windows (upper portion). Two flanking bays on each side of the central section consist of round-arched windows (lower portion) or rectangular windows (upper portion). The westernmost bay, surmounted by a cross, has an inscribed panel on the upper wall portion and a statuary niche in the lower wall portion. The other gymnasium elevations are clad in fiber cement panels. Resource 172 Noncontributing 129 Summers Street Commercial Building Date of Construction: 1997 17 This two-story, flat-roofed, Postmodern style, small commercial building combines fiber cement panels and variegated red brick to create projecting, receding, and curved wall planes as part of a narrow rectangular mass. The exaggerated wall height, with a stepped parapet on the Quarrier 16 Brief History of Sacred Heart Parish, https://sacredheartcocathedral.com/parish-history/. Accessed December 2023; “Sacred Heart debuts new day care and gym,” Charleston Gazette-Mail online. Accessed December 2023. 17 West Virginia Property Viewer, https://mapwv.gov. Accessed December 2023. Section 7 page 10 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number St. elevation, gives the appearance of a three-story building to be more compatible with the height of nearby buildings. Punched windows vary in size. The first floor recessed corner, with an oversize round support column, has an aluminum storefront entrance. Parking Areas and Vacant Site When the 2006 nomination was prepared, surface parking areas existed in a scattered arrangement throughout the historic district. Some of these parking areas came into existence as far back as the mid-20th century. They are generally small in size, serving the building on the same lot or an abutting lot. A review of aerial images for the current documentation project shows that these lots remain small in size, roughly three-fourths of an acre or less. Locations that fit this definition are labelled as “Parking” on the 2024 resource map, in order to provide a generalized understanding of surface parking areas in the historic district. Vacant Site 1 One area within the historic district, categorized as a Vacant Site, is defined as an area of contiguous surface parking that serves general parking needs within its vicinity, such as multiple businesses. The area is much larger than specific off-street areas intended to serve the parking needs of individual buildings. This parking area, about five acres in size, represents the majority of the acreage bounded by Lee Street, Leon Sullivan Way, Quarrier Street, and Dickinson Street. A review of historic aerial images shows that a large surface parking area had already formed at this location by the mid- 1950s. 18 Additional buildings were demolished during the final third of the 20th century. The Vacant Site has become slightly larger since the 2006 nomination was prepared due to the demolition of Resources 51, 55, 56, 103, and 107. Vacant Site 1 is labelled on the 2024 resource map. 18 HistoricAerials.com. Accessed December 2023. Section 7 page 11 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number ______________________________________________________________ 8. Statement of Significance Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) X A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. X C. Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. Criteria Considerations (Mark “x” in all the boxes that apply.) A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes B. Removed from its original location C. A birthplace or grave D. A cemetery E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure F. A commemorative property G. Less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years Section 8 page 12 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions.) _COMMERCE______ ARCHITECTURE Period of Significance _c.1877-1974__________ Significant Dates _ n/a __ Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) _n/a________________ Cultural Affiliation n/a________________ Architect/Builder Additional Documentation buildings only _Architect – Greife & Daley, Charleston, WV _Architect – Meyer & Kasindorf, Great Neck, NY _Architect – C. E. Silling & Associates, Charleston, WV Section 8 page 13 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance, applicable criteria, justification for the period of significance, and any applicable criteria considerations.) The 2006 nomination was eligible for the National Register under Criterion A for Commerce and Criterion C for Architecture. For Criterion A, “Charleston's downtown is significant for its association with and reflection of the commercial growth of the city from a small village in the mid-nineteenth century to the capital of West Virginia. Many events pivotal to the state and region's history took place in Charleston's downtown.” For Criterion C, “downtown Charleston is significant for its collection of historic architectural landmarks exhibiting architectural styles such as Italianate, Classical Revival, Renaissance Revival, Art Deco, and International.” 19 The architectural styles represented in the historic district included examples in the classifications Late Victorian, Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements, and the Modern Movement. This section begins with a brief discussion of the economic growth of Charleston during the 19th and 20th centuries, providing context as to why a prosperous central business district developed in Charleston, and further, demonstrating that its influence as a business center extended beyond the 1956 end date for the Period of Significance in the 2006 nomination. Next, the extension of the Period of Significance from c.1877-1956 to c.1877-1974 warrants discussion on three topics related to broad patterns of history that influenced the historic district during the 1950s-1970s: population trends, highway construction, and urban renewal. Each of these topics will be discussed in this section. Finally, in terms of architecture, this section also includes a separate discussion about the architects who designed the three buildings that have been added to the contributing resources count and the context within 19 National Register of Historic Places, Downtown Charleston Historic District. Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia, 2006, NR #06000166, p. 43. Section 8 page 14 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number ______________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.) Throughout its growth from wilderness to village to town to the capital of West Virginia, Charleston developed its industries, commercial enterprises, and educational and cultural resources, attracting an influx of new residents, and providing economic growth for the city and the region. Early Beginnings Early expeditions and surveys of the area done in the late 18th century by noted frontiersmen Simon Kenton, and later Colonel William Crawford, served to attract settlers to the region. In 1787 Colonel George Clendenin and his brothers settled in the area and founded Charleston’s first permanent settlement, Fort Clendenin (renamed Fort Lee in 1792). In 1794, “Charlestown” (renamed Charleston in 1818) was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly as a village. By 1800, “Charlestown” had a population of 65 persons. 20 About this time, salt brines were found just south of “Charlestown” in present-day Malden. Commercial salt production began in the late 1790s, and by 1818, twenty wells had been drilled, with 52 furnaces boiling the brine to produce useable salt. With a peak production output of over three million bushels of salt a year by 1846, the Kanawha Valley became one of the largest salt producing locations in the country. 21 The salt industry spurred the development of other industries to support it, including the construction of sawmills to provide lumber to make barrels to store the salt during shipping and flatboats to provide the means to transport the goods by river. Other discoveries that would prove extremely lucrative to Charleston’s economy included natural gas wells (1815), petroleum, and coal (1817). By 1850, the population had grown to 1,050 persons, and by 1860 it had increased to 1,520 persons. 22 Civil War and West Virginia Statehood While “secession from Virginia was the hope of some western Virginians as early as 1829 … [due to feelings of being] underrepresented in the legislature, overtaxed, and shortchanged in state spending,” 23 it wasn’t until 1861 with Virginia’s vote to secede from the United States that 27 counties in the western portion of Virginia organized to remain loyal to the federal government. After six months, the leaders of the movement were able to recruit another 21 20 National Register of Historic Places, “Downtown Charleston Historic District,” NR #06000166, pp.43-44. 21 Kanawha Salines Foundation, History of Kanawha Salt, Early History: the Great Buffalo Lick, https://kanawhasalinesfoundation.com/history-of-kanawha-salt/, accessed December 2023. 22 U.S. Decennial Census. 23 Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Why is There a West Virginia?: Time Period 1861 to 1876, https://virginiahistory.org/learn/why-there-west- virginia#:~:text=Secession%20from%20Virginia%20was%20the,terrain%20made%20plantation%20agriculture%20 impractical. Accessed December 2023. Section 8 page 15 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number counties to their cause. 24 Undeniably, the issue of slavery was a consideration, with western Virginians holding strong opinions and divided loyalties on the issue. Additionally, both the North and the South recognized the strategic importance western Virginia held due to the natural resources available, including salt (used in the manufacture of ammunition), natural gas, petroleum, and coal (used in the manufacture of steel and fuel for railroad transportation). Nonetheless, West Virginia was officially admitted to the Union as the 35th state of the United States on June 20, 1863. Due to the political climate at the time, West Virginia was admitted as the last slave state, however, eighteen months later, in February 1865, the West Virginia legislature completely abolished slavery. 25 Becoming the Permanent State Capital The location of the newly formed state of West Virginia’s capital changed several times, moving back and forth between Wheeling and Charleston. In 1877, the citizens of West Virginia voted to make Charleston the permanent capital. The first state capital building was opened in Charleston 1885. Charleston had a population of 3,162 persons in 1870, a population of 4,192 persons in 1880, and a population of 6,742 persons in 1890. 26 Into the Twentieth Century Over the next several decades, the population of Charleston grew rapidly from 11,099 persons in 1900, to 22,996 persons in 1910, to 39,608 persons in 1920, and to 60,408 persons in 1930. Charleston, as the center of state government, contributed greatly to the booming office, commercial, and wholesale market growth, while the abundance of natural resources attracted new industrial enterprises to the area, including chemical, glass, timber, and steel companies. The expansion of both passenger and freight railroad transportation greatly expanded transportation opportunities. Population growth, while still increasing, began to slow by 1940, when the population was 67,914 persons. 27 Mid-Century Charleston The 1950s through 1970s ushered in the era of the Interstate Highway System in West Virginia, culminating in the creation of three major routes – I-64, I-77 and I-79 – all of which converged in Charleston. Construction of the West Virginia Turnpike began in 1952 and was completed in 1954. In addition to providing improved local and statewide travel, the new interstate highway system spurred suburban development just outside of Charleston and into the adjacent county of Putnam. Due to the shorter travel times, the new highway systems made it feasible for those 24 Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Why is There a West Virginia? – Time Period 1861 to 1876, https://virginiahistory.org/learn/why-there-west- virginia#:~:text=Secession%20from%20Virginia%20was%20the,terrain%20made%20plantation%20agriculture%20 impractical. Accessed December 2023. 25 “Letter From Wheeling, Death of Slavery in West Virginia,” Wheeling Intelligencer, February 9, 1865, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, West Virginia Archives and History, https://web.archive.org/web/20150506122301/http://www.wvculture.org/history/africanamericans/slaveryabolished0 4.html. Accessed December 2023. 26 U.S. Decennial Census. 27 U.S. Decennial Census. Section 8 page 16 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Charlestonians who wished to relocate to suburban Kanawha County or even Putnam County to do so, but still commute to their jobs in Charleston. The 1950 population of Charleston was 73,501 persons, an increase of over 8% from 1940, while the population of West Virginia, at slightly over two million persons, reached its peak during that decade. By 1960, the city of Charleston reached its peak, with a population of 85,796 persons. 28 Following declining population patterns set after 1950 by the state, the population began to decline in Charleston after 1960 as well. This decline reached almost 17% between 1960 and 1970 and almost 11% between 1970 and 1980. This trend of decline in Charleston, as well as for the state, has continued through the 2020 Census. Notably, starting in 1960, the population of Charleston as a percentage of the population of the Charleston Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which consisted of Kanawha and Putnam Counties, continued to drop from 31% in 1960, to 28% in 1970, and to 24% in 1980. This decline emphasizes the possibility that some Charlestonians moved to the suburbs and/or that persons moving into the area chose to live in the suburbs, rather than moving into Charleston proper. Highway Transportation Steady population growth in urban areas during the early and mid-20th century, along with the advent of automobiles and trucks, strained local road networks. Nationwide motor vehicle registrations consistently increased every decade. Although West Virginia remained a small percentage of overall vehicle registrations, the number of vehicles in the state rose significantly, reaching one million during in the 1970s (Exhibit – Highway 1): 28 U.S. Decennial Census. Section 8 page 17 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Exhibit – Highway 1 Total Motor Vehicle Registrations, United States and West Virginia, 1910 – 1980 Motor Vehicle Registrations Year United West West Virginia as a States Virginia percent of U.S. 1910 468,500 880 0.2% 1920 9,239,161 80,664 0.9% 1930 26,749,853 268,897 1.0% 1940 32,453,233 309,231 1.0% 1950 49,161,691 482,275 1.0% 1960 73,857,768 600,549 0.8% 1970 108,418,197 800,933 0.7% 1980 155,796,219 1,319,915 0.8% Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, Section II – Motor Vehicles, Tables MV-200 and MV-201. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/summary95/section2.html. Accessed December 2023. Data available from the mid- to late 20th century also illustrates that as motor vehicle registrations increased, vehicle miles of travel also rose. During the period 1960-1980, when highway construction occurred widely in the country, including in West Virginia, urban streets continued to account for approximately 45% of all vehicle miles of travel, even as total travel miles increased (Exhibit – Highway 2): Section 8 page 18 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Exhibit – Highway 2 Vehicle Miles of Travel, United States, Total and Urban Streets, 1940 – 1980 Vehicle Miles of Travel (millions) Urban Street Year Urban travel as a Total Streets percent of total 1940 302,188 149,993 49.6% 1945 250,173 130,161 52.0% 1950 458,246 218,248 47.6% 1955 605,646 275,105 45.4% 1960 718,762 318,299 44.3% 1965 887,812 431,907 48.6% 1970 1,109,724 488,720 44.0% 1975 1,327,664 607,776 45.8% 1980 1,527,295 694,023 45.4% Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, Section V – Roadway Extent, Characteristics, and Performance, Table VM-201. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/summary95/section2.html. Accessed December 2023. West Virginia Turnpike 29 The turnpike, pre-dating the interstate highway system, was the first transportation project that impacted Charleston and the historic district. The state-financed 86-mile route significantly improved north-south travel in the state. The turnpike, built mostly as a two-lane road with twelve-foot wide travel lanes plus a nine-foot wide paved berm, reduced travel time from Charleston to Princeton from four hours to two hours. Today, at standard interstate speeds, the entire route takes about 90 minutes to complete. West Virginia was not alone among states in the eastern United States that made the decision to construct toll roads with the objective of improving transportation and stimulating economic development. In Pennsylvania, the earliest turnpike section opened in 1940, and the route was completed to the Ohio border in 1951. In New Jersey, two state highways planned in the late 1930s became the turnpike, constructed 1950-51. In Ohio, the earliest turnpike section opened in 29 Carol Melling, "West Virginia Turnpike," e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, March 14, 2023. Accessed December 2023; West Virginia Parkways Authority, https://transportation.wv.gov/Turnpike/about/turnpike_history/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed December 2023. Section 8 page 19 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number 1954 and the road was completed in 1955. The New York Thruway was proposed in 1949, and almost all of it opened during 1954-55. In Indiana, the toll road was constructed in 1954-56. Planning for the West Virginia turnpike officially started in 1947, with the legislature’s creation of the West Virginia Turnpike Commission. The commission envisioned a four-lane highway from Charleston to Princeton, near the Virginia border, to improve travel in the southern portion of the state. Following six years of planning, construction began in 1952. Rather than four travel lanes however, lower toll revenue projections resulted in the road being built mostly in a two-lane design. The turnpike opened in two stages in late 1954. In 1958 the turnpike was included in the two-year-old interstate highway system, but major changes were needed because the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 set interstate road standards to require at least four travel lanes. West Virginia, and other states in a similar situation, received financial assistance after the 1968 Federal-Aid Highway Act included a provision permitting the use of interstate funding for road expansion and reconstruction, and the companion 1970 highway act allowed tolls to be retained. The upgrading of the turnpike to four travel lanes, started in 1976, was completed in 1987. National System of Interstate Highways In 1939, the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads offered a plan for constructing a national highway system. In 1944, Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved construction of the Interstate Highway System but failed to appropriate funds to pay for construction. The ensuing discussions in Charleston and other cities focused on the potential of highways to serve urban renewal, assist the downtown economy, and speed up traffic. Engineers, planners, and elected officials also needed to consider the emerging trend of population out-migration from Charleston to suburban communities that was underway. Finally, in 1956 Congress and President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved a gasoline tax to fund the system, particularly the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. With a funding source available to pay 90% of total costs, routes were more definitively located. Even at early planning stages, Charleston was intended to be part of this national network. As the state’s largest city and capital, with a desirable roughly midpoint location north-south in the state, the city was considered a desirable link. A 1947 map of the proposed system showed Charleston served by an east-west interstate highway (I-64), connecting Charleston westward to Louisville, Kentucky and St. Louis, Missouri and eastward to I-81 in Virginia. 30 An updated 1958 system map showed that the I-64 route remained. In addition, the West Virginia turnpike had been incorporated, now shown as part of I-77 extending northward through Ohio to 30 American Association of State Highway Officials, “Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways,” August 14, 1947. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Interstate_Highway_plan_August_14%2C_1957.jpg. Accessed December 2023. Section 8 page 20 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Cleveland and southward into North Carolina, connecting to I-85 east of Charlotte. 31 Contracts related to I-64 and I-77 in the Putnam and Kanawha Counties area were being let as early as 1959. 32 An updated 1970 map showed that the I-64 routing east of Charleston had moved south to Beckley, with I-77 and I-64 sharing the same route between the two cities before I-64 headed east from Bexley on its own. At Charleston, a new route had been added, I-79, which would now connect Charleston northeastward to Pittsburgh, connecting to a previously proposed section of I-79 linking Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania. 33 The early intention to include Charleston on the interstate highway system enabled the community to plan specific routing, which had positive and negative impacts on the historic district. Groups such as state and local transportation planners, elected officials, business leaders, and the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority, eventually selected routing that connected I-64 to I-77 just north of downtown and the highway then passed about one-half mile east of downtown and the historic district. Interstates 64 and 77 were completed in the Charleston area in the mid-1970s. The economically stable downtown, including the historic district, witnessed an immediate improvement in transportation access with the completion of the highways. From the downtown historic district, it was now only 2.5 hours to Columbus, Ohio; 3.5 hours to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; 4.0 hours to Louisville, Kentucky; and 4.0 hours to Charlotte, North Carolina. As the focal point of retail and office uses, as well as cultural and religious institutions, companies constructing new buildings in the historic district recognized the business advantage of their location. Heck’s, Inc. employees at headquarters (Resource 76), now had a faster transportation network that enabled them to travel to their discount department store locations that radiated from Charleston to neighboring counties and states. National Bank of Commerce (Resource 96) purposely developed a building far larger than its own needs in order to create a multi-tenant corporate office location that successfully attracted companies to Charleston. First Presbyterian Church, who constructed their Church Gym and Activity Center (Resource 79) in the late 1950s while the highways remained in the planning phases, had enough confidence in the stability of their church and school location to invest in an expansion project. Urban Renewal The Urban Renewal movement of the mid-20th century also had an impact on the Downtown Charleston Historic District during the 1950s and into the 1970s. 31 American Automobile Association, “National system of interstate and defense highways,” June 1958. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3701p.ct003465/?r=0.476,0.214,0.633,0.345,0. Accessed December 2023. 32 “SRC Sets June 30 As Road Bid Date,” The Raleigh Register [Beckley, West Virginia], June 12, 1959. Accessed December 2023. 33 “National system of interstate and defense highways,” March 30, 1970. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Interstate_Highway_plan_March_30%2C_1970.jpg. Accessed December 2023. Section 8 page 21 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Post-World War II America witnessed a population surge, the rapid growth of suburban communities beyond the central cities, and the creation of a highway network that facilitated this shift. The result for many commercial areas in established cities was disinvestment: aging buildings with repair needs, underutilized or vacant upper stories or storefronts, and marginal business uses that gravitated to the lower rents of these less desirable areas. Commercial areas on the fringes of established central business districts, including Charleston, were often a conglomeration of land uses on smaller parcels, including commercial, housing, and industrial, occupying buildings dating to the late 19th or early 20th centuries. Such challenges to the viability of ‘downtown’ inspired “the determination of businessmen to do something – even though they usually didn’t know what at first – to conserve downtown’s economic strength.” 34 This attempt to reverse the decline of the downtown was widespread, and took place in large- and medium-sized cities across the country. At the time, it was hoped that “if strong coalitions of business and political leaders, planners, and architects can indeed create this new downtown image – and the odds are strong that they can – it will be the most remarkable chapter in the remarkable history of the modern city.” 35 The federal government recognized this demographic and economic shift as well, approving multiple pieces of legislation designed to focus reinvestment into central cities by providing federal funds, matched with local dollars, for specific purposes. 36 The federal programs began with the Housing Act of 1949, providing federal funding for “slum clearance and urban redevelopment.” When a municipality designated an area for urban renewal, property acquisition and demolition were deemed to be a public purpose, enabling cities to use the eminent domain process to compensate property owners and assemble large tracts of land under public ownership. Once cleared, local government sold parcels of land to private real estate developers at below-market prices in exchange for agreed upon new construction projects. The caveat in the 1949 law was that the federal government provided its two-thirds subsidy for wholesale demolition and land clearance for projects focused on housing. Subsequent legislative amendments required planning documents and expanded the eligible uses of funds. For example, the Housing Act of 1954 required a community receiving urban renewal funds to prepare a comprehensive community development plan. In addition, “the 1954, 1959, and 1961 housing acts permitted an ever-increasing amount of urban renewal money to be spent for commercial projects.” 37 As these legislative changes evolved, Charleston prepared for urban renewal projects. The Charleston Urban Renewal Authority (CURA) 38 was created in 1952, pursuant to the newly 34 David Carlson, “Downtown’s Dramatic Comeback,” Architectural Forum, February 1964, p. 99. 35 Carlson, p. 99. 36 Jon C. Teaford, “Urban Renewal and Its Aftermath,” Housing Policy Debate, vol. 11, issue 2, 2000, pp. 443-45. 37 Teaford, p. 445. 38 CURA History, Charleston Urban Renewal Authority website, http://curawv.org/index.html. Accessed December 27, 2023. Section 8 page 22 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number enacted language in the West Virginia Code, Chapter 16, Article 18, Slum Clearance. This new Code article identified slum clearance and blight removal as a public purpose and authorized the creation of local entities such as CURA to undertake the preparation and implementation of community renewal plans focusing on slum and blight elimination. Charleston's first urban renewal project involved the Summers Street/Boulevard Project, a three- block area bounded by Kanawha Boulevard, Capitol, Virginia and Court Streets. CURA was studying these blocks by 1960, 39 and by 1966, construction was underway on CURA-owned land that resulted in the development of the Charleston National Bank Building and the Charleston House Holiday Inn. The edge of this urban renewal area abuts the historic district along Capitol Street. With this successful project, CURA initiated studies for two additional projects: Government Square (1965) and the Triangle District (1966). Government Square consisted of a 10-block area bounded by Kanawha Boulevard, Laidley, Lee, and Clendenin Streets. This are developed, beginning in the later 1970s and beyond, with office towers, civic buildings, and an enclosed shopping mall. The edge of this urban renewal area abuts the historic district along Laidley Street. The Triangle District project was bounded by Washington Street and the Government Square project, the Elk River, present-day Interstates 64/ 77, and roughly Morris and Bradford Streets. In the early and mid-20th century, the area was a lower income Black neighborhood. The CURA project demolished the neighborhood in the early 1970s, and the area redeveloped in the later 20th century primarily with commercial uses, plus a small residential neighborhood. Acreage was also allotted for construction of the highway and a wastewater treatment plant. The edge of this urban renewal area overlaps with the north side of Washington Street in the historic district. 40 The delineation of urban renewal area boundaries was based on an inventory of all buildings. Information collected included building age, vacancy status, building uses, repair needs, and property tax valuation. Although all three of Charleston’s urban renewal projects abutted the historic district – or overlapped on one side of a street – the boundary placement documented a distinct difference between the urban renewal areas and the more stable retail and office economic environment of downtown Charleston. The economic activity of downtown transitioned at its north and east edges to a different mix of land uses and less economic activity. 39 “Council Gets Proposal For Skyscraper Sites,” The Charleston Daily Mail, August 16, 1960, p. 7. www.newspapers.com. Accessed December 2023. 40 Map in The Charleston Gazette, August 27, 1965, p. 16; Roxy Todd and Eric Douglas, Community Still Grieves Loss of Triangle District, Once The Center of Black Music and Culture, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, https://wvpublic.org/community-still-grieves-loss-of-triangle-district-once-the-center-of-black-music-and-culture/. Accessed December 2023. Section 8 page 23 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Although not directly related to CURA and the urban renewal projects, the three entities responsible for constructing buildings within the historic district during the 1950s and 1960s were aware of the community efforts to encourage reinvestment. Furthermore, it is possible that the three entities, a major bank, a major retailer, and an important Presbyterian church, may have been active supporters in the coordinated efforts of the business community, local elected officials at the city and county levels, and long-time local institutions to encourage reinvestment in Charleston’s downtown and its vicinity. During the 1980s, CURA did become involved in activities within the historic district, although not in the role of land purchase, clearance, and sale. The 1983 opening of Charleston Town Center, the indoor shopping center constructed in the Government Square urban renewal area, hurt retail business activity downtown. In response, the Charleston Renaissance Corporation was formed, and the organization prepared the Downtown/Old Charleston Urban Renewal Plan for CURA in 1985. The Plan had the primary goal of preserving, restoring, and enhancing the downtown’s existing historic character and of prioritizing pedestrian linkages. Proposed public space redevelopment projects included the redesign of Capitol Street between Virginia and Lee Streets and Quarrier Street between Capitol and Dickinson Streets; the development of a riverfront park (now Haddad Riverfront Park); expansion of a farmers market; and the redevelopment of the former Holley Hotel site. 41 Resource 76 Heck’s Inc. Built: 1967 Heck’s was a West Virginia-based chain of discount department stores, founded in 1959 by four Boone County, West Virginia businessmen: Fred Haddad, Thomas Ellis, Lester Ellis, and Douglas Cook. The company focused initially on small cities in West Virginia, and by the mid- 1980s operated 127 stores in nine states, employed more than 8,000 people, and had assets of $300 million. Increased competition from Walmart and other discount retailers led Heck’s to file for bankruptcy in 1987. The company emerged from bankruptcy with a new owner, but its assets were liquidated in 1991. 42 To meet its growing office space needs, Heck’s began a search to construct a freestanding headquarters building in downtown Charleston. In 1965, Heck’s Inc. expressed interest in purchasing property owned by CURA in the Government Square urban renewal area, but the purchase was not finalized. Instead, the firm bought the property at 1012 Kanawha Blvd., replacing a service station and parking lot. 43 Heck’s Inc. specifically chose to build in 41 The Mayor’s Institute on City Design, Meeting Summary, Midwest Session, February 10-12, 2010, p. 14. 42 Scott Finn, "Heck’s Inc.", e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. February 23, 2012. Accessed December 2023. 43 “Heck’s Will Erect Boulevard Building,” The Charleston Daily Mail, December 31, 1966, p. 5. Section 8 page 24 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number downtown Charleston, understanding the real estate investment occurring in the vicinity and the work of CURA. Fred Haddad served briefly as CURA Board chairman in 1972. 44 Resource 79 First Presbyterian Church Gym and Activity Center Built: 1958 Religious congregations have been located in downtown Charleston for much of the city’s history. As of 2024, there are five churches within the historic district. The First Presbyterian Church traces its roots to 1819 and became a wealthy congregation, building an imposing limestone Neo-Classical Revival building in 1914-1915 (Resource 99). The 1932 religious education building, built in 1932 and housing a school, was connected to the rear of the church. The Gym and Activity Center, a freestanding building behind the education building, represented a $1,200,000 expansion program of the church. A planning committee was formed in 1955 and the building was dedicated in 1958. The construction of this activities building allowed the church to further utilize space in the education building for Sunday School classes. The activities building included a 400-seat banquet hall with a modern commercial kitchen, gymnasium/auditorium with film projection capability, conference and lounge rooms, and meeting space for Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. The original gymnasium in the church school building has been converted to classrooms. 45 The Gym and Activity Center constructed in the mid-20th century represented a continuing commitment to its location by a long-time religious institution within the historic district. Resource 96 National Bank of Commerce Built: 1967-1968 The bank was founded in 1918 in Nitro, West Virginia as Citizens Bank of Nitro. In 1920, the bank moved to Charleston and was renamed the State Street Bank. Two years later, the name was changed to the Bank of Commerce, and in 1930 it became a national bank, the National Bank of Commerce. Prior to constructing its building on Lee Street, the bank was located nearby at Capitol and Lee Streets. The 16-story 46 office tower with 71,500 square feet of space was constructed as a multi-tenant corporate office location officially known as Commerce Square. National Bank of Commerce, which developed the building, occupied the ground level for a public banking location, plus 44 Jack Seamonds, “Haddad Resigns,” The Charleston Daily Mail, July 15, 1972, p. 1. 45 Activities building dedication, The Charleston Daily Mail, September 1, 1958, p. 10. 46 Many published accounts referred to a 17-floor building, but there is no 13th floor in the numbering system. “Commerce Square To Open in Dec.,” The Charleston Daily Mail, November 13, 1968, p. 29. Section 8 page 25 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number floors two and three. On the remaining thirteen floors were about three dozen tenants when the building opened. Some companies relocated from Charleston locations and took the opportunity to expand, while other firms opened Charleston offices. Many of the firms represented important West Virginia industries, as well as firms that provided services to those companies. The fields represented included coal, gas, oil, insurance, accounting, legal services, and data processing and computer firms. National Bank of Commerce hoped to draw banking and financial services customers from the business tenants and their employees. The business roster reinforced the reputation of downtown Charleston as the most important corporate business location in West Virginia, with proximity to the state government departments, administration, and legislature. 47 Architecture The three buildings being changed to contributing building status also represent the Modern Movements of design prevalent during the 1950s and 1960s. Resource 76 Heck’s Inc. Date of Construction: 1967 48 Architect: Stanley Kasindorf, Meyer and Kasindorf, Great Neck, NY 49 This building was designed in the Miesian style, with the building raised one-story above grade on pilotis, a curtain wall façade, and other elevations dominated by brick walls with minimal or no fenestration. Stanley Kasindorf (1925-1983) 50 and Ralph M. Meyer (1924-1999) 51 established their partnership in Great Neck, New York in 1959 and designed various building types including offices, commercial, hotels, and educational buildings. The firm developed specialties in designing shopping centers and office buildings of various sizes. 52 Based on a review of newspaper articles, most of the firms work occurred in the Long Island, New York area, Connecticut, western Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Meyer was born in Bremen, Germany. He emigrated to America and earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Pratt Institute in 1953. Kasindorf, born to Russian immigrant parents, grew up in the Bronx, New York City. 53 47 e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. "National Bank of Commerce." July 28, 2023. Accessed December 2023; “Commerce Square To Open in Dec.,” The Charleston Daily Mail, November 13, 1968, p. 29. 48 “Heck’s Will Erect Boulevard Building,” The Charleston Daily Mail, December 31, 1966, p. 5. 49 “Heck’s Will Erect Boulevard Building,” The Charleston Daily Mail, December 31, 1966, p. 5. 50 Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/80630497/stanley-kasindorf. Accessed December 2023; Social Security Death Index, www.geneaologybank.com. Accessed December 2023. 51 Social Security Death Index, www.geneaologybank.com. Accessed December 2023. 52 “Forum Architect Is International Commuter,” The Berkshire Eagle, [Pittsfield, MA], April l5, 1969, p. 4. 53 New York State Census, 1925, Assembly District 08, Page Number 36, Line Number 18. www.ancestry.com. Accessed December 2023. Section 8 page 26 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Resource 79 First Presbyterian Church Gym and Activity Center Date of Construction: 1958 54 Architect: Greife and Daley, Charleston, WV 55 The building is representative of the Modern Movement. Instead of ornamentation, the brick, stone, and glass design emphasizes broad, low massing with a balance of horizontal and vertical wall elements, changes in wall planes, and decorative effects originating from a straightforward application of materials, such as a screen wall created from stacked bricks. Robert P. Greife (1885-1981) 56 and Robert H. Daley (1903-1977) 57 worked in a Charleston architectural partnership with Wilbur Meanor (Meanor, Greife & Daley). One of the firm’s important works was the Art Moderne style Stone & Thomas department store (Resource 95). Upon Meanor’s death in 1948, the firm reorganized as Greife & Daley the same year. The firm designed commercial, educational, and institutional buildings in West Virginia. The partnership became Greife, Daley & Hoblitzell in 1962. 58 Robert P. Greife was born in Higginsville, Missouri and graduated from the Ohio Mechanics Institute in Cincinnati (1905). For a number of years, he lived in northern Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, and worked as a structural engineer. 59 Greife relocated to Charleston, West Virginia in the early 1920s, working mostly with Wilbur Meanor. Robert H. Daley was born in Chatham, New York and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell in 1929. He worked for several other firms before becoming the office manager at Meanor & Handloser (1938-43). Resource 96 National Bank of Commerce Date of Construction: 1967-1968 60 Architect: C.E. Silling & Associates, Charleston, WV 61 54 Activities building dedication, The Charleston Daily Mail, September 1, 1958, p. 10. 55 Activities building dedication, The Charleston Daily Mail, September 1, 1958, p. 10. 56 Social Security Death Index, www.geneaologybank.com. Accessed December 2023. 57 Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/235385057/robert-house-daley. Accessed December 2023; 58 AIA Historical Directory of American Architects, https://aiahistoricaldirectory.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AHDAA/overview. Accessed December 2023. 59 U. S. Decennial Census, www.ancestry.com. Accessed December 2023. 60 “Bank Employees Due Key Roles In Groundbreaking,” The Charleston Daily Mail, February 13, 1967, p. 15; Charlie Connor, “Commerce Square To Open in Dec.,” The Charleston Daily Mail, November 13, 1968, p. 29. 61 “Bank Employees Due Key Roles In Groundbreaking,” The Charleston Daily Mail, February 13, 1967, p. 15. Section 8 page 27 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number This International Style office tower has curtain wall construction on all four elevations. Cyrus Edgar Silling (1899-1993), 62 FAIA, was born in Palmer, West Virginia. He graduated from Charleston High School and received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (1920). He started his career in the prominent Charleston firm Warne, Tucker & Patterson in 1921, became a partner in 1928 and became the head of the successor firm, C. E. Silling & Associates, in 1951. Through the predecessor firms and his own firm, Silling designed numerous buildings at West Virginia University, the Kanawha Airport Terminal Building, the West Virginia Cultural Center in Charleston, and other office, educational, and institutional buildings in West Virginia. 63 Mounted on the granite at the second story level is a bas relief bronze sculpture original to the building: Man Wrests From The Earth Its Natural Resources To Build Pathways To The Stars, designed by Milton Horn (1906-1995). Horn was a Ukrainian-born sculptor who had a 70-year career. He focused on collaborating with architects to create art as part of building projects, and in 1957 received a Citation of Honor from the American Institute of Architects. During the 1970s-1990s, Horn had extensive involvement with West Virginia University. 64 62 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/159935599/cyrus-edgar-silling. Accessed December 2023. 63 AIA Historical Directory of American Architects, https://aiahistoricaldirectory.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AHDAA/overview. Accessed December 2023; Obituary, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 9, 1993, p. 15; Charlie Connor, “Architect Keeps Offices 50 Years,” The Charleston Daily Mail, December 23, 1966, p. 7. 64 Kenan Heise, “Milton Horn, 88, a ‘poet’ of sculpture,” Chicago Tribune, April 5, 1995, p. 165. Accessed December 2023. A lengthy chronological inventory of his works is listed at the Wikipedia entry, “Milton Horn.” Section 8 page 28 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number ______________________________________________________________________________ 9. Major Bibliographical References Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.) AIA Historical Directory of American Architects. https://aiahistoricaldirectory.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AHDAA/overview. Accessed December 2023. Brief History of Sacred Heart Parish. https://sacredheartcocathedral.com/parish-history/. Accessed December 2023. Carlson, David. “Downtown’s Dramatic Comeback.” Architectural Forum (February 1964): 99- 100. Charleston Gazette-Mail online. Various articles. Accessed December 2023. CURA History, Charleston Urban Renewal Authority website, http://curawv.org/index.html. Accessed December 2023. Drennen, Bill. "Kanawha Valley Bank." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. July 20, 2023. Accessed December 2023. e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. "National Bank of Commerce." July 28, 2023. Accessed December 2023. Find a Grave. www.findagrave.com Finn, Scott. "Heck’s Inc." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. February 23, 2012. Accessed December 2023. Geneaologybank.com. Various records. Accessed December 2023. HistoricAerials.com. Accessed December 2023. Kanawha Salines Foundation. History of Kanawha Salt, Early History: the Great Buffalo Lick. https://kanawhasalinesfoundation.com/history-of-kanawha-salt/. Accessed December 2023. Melling, Carol. "West Virginia Turnpike." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. March 14, 2023. Accessed December 2023. Section 9-end page 29 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. Sanborn Map Company. https://www.loc.gov. Accessed December 2023. Stollings, Carrie. "Charleston National Bank." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. October 30, 2023. Accessed December 26, 2023. Teaford, Jon C. “Urban Renewal and Its Aftermath,” Housing Policy Debate. 11, issue 2 (2000): 443-465. The Charleston Daily Mail online. Various articles. Accessed December 2023. The Charleston Gazette online. Various articles. Accessed December 2023. The Mayor’s Institute on City Design. Meeting Summary, Midwest Session. February 10-12, 2010. Todd, Roxy and Eric Douglas, Community Still Grieves Loss of Triangle District, Once The Center of Black Music and Culture. West Virginia Public Broadcasting, https://wvpublic.org/community-still-grieves-loss-of-triangle-district-once-the-center-of-black- music-and-culture/. Accessed December 2023. U.S. Decennial Census. Various years. West Virginia Division of Culture and History. West Virginia Archives and History. Section 9-end page 30 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number ___________________________________________________________________________ Previous documentation on file (NPS): ____ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested __X_ previously listed in the National Register ____ previously determined eligible by the National Register ____ designated a National Historic Landmark ____ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #____________ ____ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #____________ ____ recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey # ___________ Primary location of additional data: __X_State Historic Preservation Office ____ Other State agency ____ Federal agency ____ Local government __ _ University ___ Other Name of repository: ________________ Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): _ ______________________________________________________________________________ 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property _NO CHANGE____ Use either the UTM system or latitude/longitude coordinates Latitude/Longitude Coordinates Datum if other than WGS84:__________ NO CHANGE (enter coordinates to 6 decimal places) 1. Latitude: Longitude: 2. Latitude: Longitude: 3. Latitude: Longitude: 4. Latitude: Longitude: Section 9-end page 31 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Or UTM References NO CHANGE Datum (indicated on USGS map): NAD 1927 or NAD 1983 1. Zone: Easting: Northing: 2. Zone: Easting: Northing: 3. Zone: Easting: Northing: 4. Zone: Easting: Northing: Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.) NO CHANGE Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.) NO CHANGE _______________________________________________________________________ 11. Form Prepared By name/title: Heather Rudge, CEO; Marcia E. Moll, Project Principal; and Richard J. Sicha, Project Principal organization: Historic Preservation Group LLC street & number: 2425 West 11th Street – Suite 4 city or town: Cleveland state: Ohio zip code: 44113 e-mail: heather@hpgroup-llc.com telephone: 216-302-3510 date: December 31, 2023 Preliminary research assistance: Michael Gioulis, Historic Preservation Consultant, Sutton, West Virginia Section 9-end page 32 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number ___________________________________________________________________________ Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: • Maps: A USGS map or equivalent (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. • Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Key all photographs to this map. • Additional items: (Check with the SHPO, TPO, or FPO for any additional items.) Photographs Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 1600x1200 pixels (minimum), 3000x2000 preferred, at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Each photograph must be numbered and that number must correspond to the photograph number on the photo log. For simplicity, the name of the photographer, photo date, etc. may be listed once on the photograph log and doesn’t need to be labeled on every photograph. Photo Log Name of Property: Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation City or Vicinity: Charleston County: Kanawha State: WV Photographer: Michael Gioulis Date Photographed: October 2022 Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of camera: Photograph 1 of 3 Resource 76 1012 Kanawha Boulevard Description: Heck’s Inc. Section 9-end page 33 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Camera Direction: East Photograph 2 of 3 Resource 79 1116 Kanawha Boulevard Description: First Presbyterian Church Gym and Activity Center Camera Direction: East Photograph 3 of 3 Resource 96 901 Lee Street Description: National Bank of Commerce Camera Direction: South Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 100 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, DC. Section 9-end page 34 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Resource Map Section 9-end page 35 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Downtown Charleston Historic District – Additional Documentation Kanawha, WV Name of Property County and State 06000166 NR Reference Number Photo Key Section 9-end page 36