Home Explore The 1913 erection of the Law & Commerce Building, t Bluefield
The 1913 erection of the Law & Commerce Building, t Bluefield
Description: opening of the elegant and luxurious hostelry made Bluefield, with its mild summer climate, an instant convention center. The ...
BUILDING #1 The east facing portion of the structure held a 500-seat Opera House and was Mercer County West Virginia's HistoricBAILEY BUILDING the center of southern West Virginia culture and quality entertainment. Broad- Convention & Visitors Bureau704 Bland Street way shows train-bound for the West Coast stopped in Bluefield long enough to 704 Bland St., PO Box 4088 DOWNTOWN stage renowned performance. Bluefield, WV 24701 A six story blonde brick Classical Revival office building erected in 1923, (304) 325-8438 Bluefieldthe Bailey Building housed the offices of the famous Baldwin-Felts Detective The Elks Building has a grandiose oversize entranceway with flat frieze 1-800-221-3206Agency, as well as the Pocahontas Operators Association and a Hudson dealer- limestone entablature, stepped pediment, stone Corinthian columns and re- www.visitmercercounty.com Walking Tourship on the first floor. The Appalachian Power Company (now American cessed portico. The side elevation still proudly displays a huge bronze elks www.bluefieldhistoricalsociety.orgElectric Co.) purchased the building in 1939 and lavished nearly one million head. Discover architecture listed on thedollars remodeling the structure, whose ornate aluminum and wood first floor National Register of Historic Placesfurnishings were widely renowned. This building houses the Bluefield State BUILDING #6 Located 5 miles from Exit 1 off I-77College Research and Development Corporation, various offices and the Mer- LAW AND COMMERCE BUILDINGcer County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Federal Street and Raleigh Street Photo Courtesy Steve JesseBUILDING #2 The 1913 erection of the Law & Commerce Building, the first modern Bluefield's Natural Gravity Switching Rail YardPERRY BUILDING office in Bluefield, marked the city's entrance into the twentieth century. The525 Bland Street and 524 Federal Street six-story Neo-Classical Revival building was finished in 1918. Stone pilasters, Doric columns and a projecting stone balcony, combined with ornate triglyths A monument to its builder, Bluefield optometrist Dr. Thomas Peery, the and modillions on the cornice, make the structure as stately as it was func-eight-story office building of glazed commercial brick was built in 1919 and tional. A full bowling alley in the basement provided lunchtime recreation fordesigned by noted Bluefield architect Alex Mahood. Converted into the clinic busy Bluefield coal and railroad men.of Bluefield's Sanitarium Hospital in 1954, the unique building has entranceson two streets at different levels. Every office had an outside window. A BUILDING #7dentilated cornice with gargoyle figurines caps the striking building which, HISTORIC COMMERCIAL BANK BUILDINGupon its construction, was Bluefield's tallest building. The structure has been Federal Street and Commerce Streetrecently refurbished into transition housing. A seven story brick building constructed in the Second Renaissance RevivalBUILDING #3 style, directly adjacent to the West Virginia Hotel. The front elevation is threeOLD CITY HALL bays wide with a recessed arch entrance with a shield over the metal door.500 Bland Street Windows have stone hoods. The cornice is of flat stone. Windows in the shaft and attic are one over one. The side elevation has paired windows. A cornice Now the lovely restored home of the Bluefield Area Arts Center, Old City separates the shaft from the attic. A flat cap surmounts the building. It wasHall was built in 1924 and provided Bluefield with quality municipal services originally constructed in 1922. Prominent West Virginia architect Alex B.for fifty years. Designed by noted architect Wilbur Mills, the massive Classical Mahood was at one time president of the bank. His mother designed the inte-Revival Style three-story half-block edifice displays a lovely façade, vaulted rior friezes. The structure serves as a conference and meeting venue.entrance hall, and spacious auditorium. The building still contains jail cellsand the remnants of the police, fire, and other municipal services. The Paine BUILDING #8Gallery was formerly the public library. WEST VIRGINIAN HOTEL Federal Street and Scott Street Saved by a broad-based citizen coalition, the lovely old building nowhouses the Summit Theatre and several offices. Old City Hall is the heart and At twelve stories high, the West Virginian Hotel is still the tallest buildingsoul of Bluefield. in southern West Virginia, crowning the hill above the railroad yards with a physical symbol of Bluefield's position of regional leadership. The 1923 Crossing Ramsey Street, walking tourists should note Ramsey School to opening of the elegant and luxurious hostelry made Bluefield, with its mildtheir left. The oldest educational institution in the city, Ramsey was listed by summer climate, an instant convention center.Ripley's Believe It or Not! for its seven entrances on seven levels. The magnificent hotel, a showpiece of the region, boasted superb service, aBUILDING #4 barbershop, newsstand, huge ballroom for civic functions, dances, and a Paris-BLUEFIELD DAILY TELEGRAPH BUILDING trained chef stolen from The Greenbrier Resort.412 Bland Street The ashlar limestone Second Renaissance Revival structure, in the shape of For seventy years home of the Bluefield Daily Telegraph, the striking a column, has elaborate mezzanine facades, dentilated cornices, arched win-façade of the building suggests its importance in the community's unique dows, projecting balustrades, and twelfth-story ornamental cartouches of exqui-history. Hugh Ike Shott, editor and publisher of southern West Virginia's only site detail.daily newspaper for over fifty years, began his remarkable career as a telegraphoperator and ultimately served in the United States Senate. BUILDING #9 KEE BUILDING Built in 1916, the Neo-Classical brick building, still housing the old typeset 601 Federal Streetpress, is separated into three bays by rectangular brick pilasters with TerraCotta Corinthian columns supporting an entablature sporting modillions and Named for Elizabeth Kee, one of Bluefield's powerful Kee family of Con-dentilation. A metal balustrade crowns the structure and a keystone arch gressmen, the Federal building houses the United States District Courthouseadorns the recessed entrance. and post office. Its 1911 construction rewarded Bluefield after it had lost the county seat to nearby Princeton. The beautiful three-story blonde brick Revival Many stories and lore surround the building where, at one time, huge structure features an entranceway marked by a frieze with triglyths and brack-throngs gathered to watch a telegraphed-in dramatization of the World Series. eted coronas, exceedingly ornate for the period and place. The Kee family—Global Outreach is currently restoring the structure. John, his wife Elizabeth, and their son James—held a seat in Congress fromBUILDING #5 1932—1972, a feat unmatched by ANY American clan.ELKS LODGE AND OPERA HOUSE405 Raleigh Street "Discover Historic Downtown Bluefield" The huge and elegant Elks Lodge is one of Bluefield's most prized historic and its fascinating past.treasures. Built in 1902 and enlarged in 1927, the western portion houses thefraternal lodge itself and still contains elaborate leather, stained glass andmahogany in the huge ballroom. 9 1 VISIT HISTORIC BLUEFIELD 3The site of Bluefield was a sleepy cattle farm before the 1882 arrival of the Norfolk& Western Railroad (now Norfolk-Southern Corporation). The railroad chose the lovelyvalley as the location for the headquarters of its mighty Pocahontas Division, which hashauled the world's finest coal for well over one hundred years. The East 8River valley soon bustled with the noise and smoke of a thriving rail-road town, where warehouses stocked the company stores throughoutthe coalfield. Soon Bluefield emerged as the industrial, financial, BLAND STREET 1administrative, medical and corporate center of the coalfields, Bailey Buildingwhose residents rode the train to Bluefield for entertainmentand business. 9 2 The striking architecture of the city was built in the 7 7 4 Kee1920's and reflects the optimism and confidence of the Buildingera. Most of the prominent structures were built ina very short period of time from 1921 to 1925, 2after World War One sent coal tonnages Perry 3 Building Oldsoaring. The city's first planning com- PARKING City Hallmission supervised the construction, BUILDING RAMSEY STREETmaking sure that all the buildingswere esthetically compatible.Bluefield boomed throughout SCOTT STREETthe twentieth century until 6 8mechanization replaced WV Hotelcoal miners. Today FEDERAL STREET 4downtown Bluefield SCOTT STREET Historic Commercial Bank 7 BLAND STREET PARKINGhas underground Bluefield Dailyconduit which COMMERCE STREET Telegraphallows forquick and 6inexpensive Law & Commerceinstallationof high RALEIGH STREETspeed data 5networks Elks Lodge andand is 5 PARKINGemerging BUILDING Operaas a NORFOLK House SOUTHERNdowntown OFFICEArtsCenter. U.S. ROUTE 19 PRINCETON AVENUE _____________________________________________________________________________________
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