Area Attractions
Architectural Landmarks
405 Capitol Street
Formerly the Daniel Boone Hotel, one of Charleston's most lavish hotels, this 1929 landmark was built by a progressive group of Charleston citizens at a cost of more than $1.2 million. It was named for Daniel Boone, frontiersman, who spent several years as a resident of Kanawha County. This hotel has been the temporary home to numerous celebrities: John F. Kennedy, Bob Hope, Tyrone Power, and Elvis Presley. The exterior has been maintained as an historical structure, while the interior has been revamped as office space; it is often cited for its incredible 10-story atrium. Located at 405 Capitol Street.
Brawley Walkway and Slack Plaza
This walkway connects Capitol Street to Court Street, and serves as a link between the renovated downtown and Charleston Town Center mall. The walkway was named for Harry Brawley, who lived from 1910-1992, was a historian who worked in the area as a high school and college teacher, radio and TV personality, and Charleston councilman. Brawley is said to have done more for the city’s history than any other individual. He knew the history of every building and family in Charleston, but more importantly he chronicled these stories for publication in magazines. Between Summers and Laidley Street, the walkway broadens out to become Slack Plaza and Transportation Mall. This favorite gathering place was named in honor of former Congressman John M. Slack. Slack attended public schools in Charleston, graduated from VMI, and served on the Kanawha County Court and as the Kanawha County assessor.
Burning Springs Monument
This monument was built to commemorate the first drilled well in America and the first industrial use of natural gas at Burning Springs.
The monument is located on US Route 60 East of Charleston, near the Capitol Complex.
C & O Railroad Depot
This Beaux Arts-style brick building with terra cotta trim provided the state capital with a grand point of interest in earlier days. Originally constructed in 1905, it was completely refurbished inside and out in 1987 in order to restore it to its original style. AT that time a companion structure in the same style was erected beside it. The old depot houses a restaurant on the main level with office space on the upper level. It also still houses the local depot for AMTRAK.
Located at 350 MacCorkle Ave, SE.
Cabriole/BB&T Square
The sculpture Cabriole is located at the entrance to the BB&T building. Cabriole is made from cast bronze and depicts three male dancers who are engaged in a dance step known as the “cabriole” (a type of leap into the air). The sculpture was dedicated in 1981. It is about 8 feet high and 14 feet wide; each figure weighs about 600 pounds. The sculptor, Jimilu Mason of Arlington, VA., referred to the work as her "grandest project ever." It is said that she took three years to complete it. The sculpture can be seen at the intersection of Summers and Lee Street.
City Hall
Charleston’s city hall building was designed in 1922 by H. Rus Warne, architect. It features fluted columns rising for the length of two stories, lending classical dignity to the front elevation of Charleston's handsome seat of government. City Hall is located at the intersection of Court and Virginia Streets.
Commerce Square
Originally a domed Beaux Arts-style building constructed over the period from 1901 to 1903, this was the site of the Old Statehouse Annex. It was home to the West Virginia Supreme Court and State Archives. It is now the site of a glass and metal tower and contains the Huntington Banks West Virginia building. The building is located in the 800 Block of Lee Street.
Coyle & Richardson Building
This 3-story brick structure was built in the 1890s and was the site of the dry goods company called Coyle and Richardson. Notice the extremely detailed brickwork and ornate decoration. The building stands at the corner of Lee and Dickinson Streets.
First Presbyterian Church
This church was established in 1819; the current building was designed by Weaver, Werner, and Atkins, architects in 1915. One of the great architectural landmarks of West Virginia, the church displays an Imperial Roman exterior and a breathtaking Byzantine interior, including a 52-foot diameter dome and a spectacular traditional pipe organ. The Church is located one block off Kanawha Boulevard at the corner of Virginia Street and Leon Sullivan Way; 16 Leon Sullivan Way. The church building is open every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kanawha Presbyterian Church
This church was designed by Edwin Anderson, architect. It was built over a period of years from 1873 to 1885. It is Charleston's oldest extant house of worship, and stands as a significant example of High Victorian Gothic architecture. Its interior is aglow with color from Tiffany glass windows.
You can visit the church at 1009 Virginia Street, East.
Kanawha Valley Building
This 20-story high-rise is richly appointed with gray and orange terra cotta trim. One of Charleston’s tallest structures, it overlooks Davis Park and is surrounded by other business structures like AT&T, BB&T, and the Diamond building. It served as headquarters of the Kanawha Valley Bank and occupies the site of the old West Virginia Capitol Building which burned in 1921. The building was constructed circa 1929. 300 Capitol Street. Located on the corner of Capitol and Lee and Dickinson Streets.
Masonic Building
H. Rus Warne, architect designed this pinnacled building in 1915. Its Gothic, pointed arches and window tracery are terra cotta details that won’t be found in many cities, and certainly are not duplicated even in today’s modern buildings. 107 Hale Street.
One Bridge Place
This is a five-story structure that is used as an office rental space. Originally the location of the first wholesale grocery distribution firm of Lewis, Hubbard, & Company, the warehouse was burned to the ground in 1887. In 1898 the warehouse was rebuilt; since then the building has been headquarters to numerous businesses. It has been restored to its 1898 beauty, including exposing all columns, beams, and interior brick walls as well as installing period lighting and using special cleaning and restoration techniques.
Be sure to take note of the environmental mural which is located on the side of the building facing the Southside Bridge. This mural, incorporating the actual windows in the building, was conceived and painted by Bart Davies, a Fine Arts graduate of Penn State. It took two years to complete.
Virginia and Hale Streets (at the foot of the Southside Bridge).
Payne Building
It is thought that construction of the Payne House probably occurred in the 1930s. Its structures offers one of the most beautiful buildings in Charleston; marble, terra cotta, mosaic tiles and unusual ornamentation blend together to offer one of the most architecturally interesting structures in West Virginia. 819 Lee Street.
Pumpkin House
Over 3000 jack o'lanterns are each carved with a unique pattern every October; they are lit from dawn til dusk throughout the month. The home that is now known as the Pumpkin House was once owned by Joseph Miller, who was the first commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. It was built in 1891. It is said that President Grover Cleveland once paid a visit here. Located in Kenova at 748 Beech St.
Ramsdell House
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this brick home was built about 1857. It was the first brick house in Ceredo and was believed to be part of the Underground Railroad.Ramsdell House hosts school tours and special events. Located at 1108 B Street, Ceredo; take exit 1 off I-64, follow Route 60 to Ceredo, and turn left onto B street.
Huntington’s Rose Garden
Since 1934, West Virginia's nationally recognized municipal rose garden containing over 2,000 bushes and noted for its All-America Rose Selections. Roses of all types and colors are featured here; they have names like “St. Patrick” and Queen Elisabeth.” It is an accredited testing garden and is often the site of weddings and receptions as well as other special events.
Located in Ritter Park off McCoy Road (8th Street Hill). To get there, take I-64 Exit 8 or 11. For more information, phone (304) 696-5954 or visit http://www.ghprd.org/
Kincaid House
Located in Point Pleasant, this structure is an imposing three story brick house that was built between 1890 and 1900. The house is open for tours by appointment. Please contact Charles Humphreys at (304) 675-3844 for more information.
Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral
Great arches, expansive walls, and a monumental tower are features of the church whose cornerstone was laid by Bishop Donahue of Wheeling in late July, 1895. Romanesque-style sconces with bronze finish as well as translucent glass were installed in 1950; also around that time the red Verona and Belgian Rouge marble was placed around the sanctuary walls. The walls of the nave and vestibule feature Fleuri Travernelle marble.
The church’s bell tower rises more than 120 feet above you if you’re standing on Leon Sullivan Way. The large bell weighs 2,060 pounds; the middle one 1500 pounds; and the smallest, 700 pounds. The bells are rung three times a day, as they have been since June of 1901. Also above the Cathedral entrance on Leon Sullivan Way you will see a statue, cast in bronze, of the Sacred Heart, which has stood there since 1897. Located at Leon Sullivan Way and Virginia Street.
Scott Building
This structure was built in 1891 for brothers W.D. and G.W. Scott; after 1914 it was known as the Scott Brothers Drug Store & Soda Fountain, an early Charleston cornerstone. The Queen Anne-Renaissance-style features pressed brick and Victorian turrets. If you look next door, you will see the First Empire Federal Savings and Loan Association building. This was once the site of the famed Burlew Opera House, a glittering 1,500 seat theatre. Located at the corner of Fife and Capitol Streets.
Security Building
Originally the Kanawha National Bank, the building was constructed by John S. Atkins, architect. Its white glazed tiles are intricately detailed and unique to the area. Located on the N.E. corner of Capitol and Virginia Streets.
Shrewsbury Street
This street features sites and buildings that figure prominently into West Virginia's African-American history. Among these are the Sam Starks House, located at 413 Shrewsbury St. Sam Starks was a Charleston native who lived from 1866 to 1908 and was a nationally known African-American leader. He achieved many levels of acclaim, including being appointed as the first black state librarian in the U.S. Shrewsbury Street runs between the 1000 block of Washington Street and Lewis Street.
St. George Orthodox Church
This church actually formed its roots in 1892 when a group of immigrants rented a building for worship at 213 Kanawha Street, Charleston. In 1932 the current building was constructed. Its “onion” domes represent candle flames. They rise gracefully above the polychrome brick facade of the building. Of special beauty is the church's iconostasis which serves to separate the chancel from the nave. Located at Lee and Court Streets.
St. John's Episcopal Church
The original St. John’s Episcopal Church was a brick building situated on the northwest corner of Virginia and McFarland Streets; it was designed by Isaac Pursell and built and consecrated in 1839. Used by the Union army during the Civil War, the building was later repaired and refurbished; however, the congregation decided to move to the current structure in 1888. This building exhibits the best elements of both Gothic and Romanesque design; a heavy base is topped by highpitched roofs and an enormous tower. The parish house was built in 1928. Both are on the National Register of Historic Places. Located at 1105 Quarrier Street.
St. Mark's Episcopal
This church got its Kanawha Valley beginnings in 1825, when Morris Hudson built a small brick church behind his house on the old Kanawha Turnpike. The church at that time was called Bangor Parish, after Hudson’s home church in Pennsylvania. This was the Episcopal place of worship until it was burned. The new structure was built in 1847 after fire destroyed the original church. Several items from the old church, like the lecturn and a Bible were brought from the Bangor parish sanctuary; the bell in the old tower is also from the original church. It was occupied by federal troops during the Civil War and almost destroyed, as they tore up the grounds and even removed the floors. Later restored, it was nearly 50 years before the federal government paid for damages. Located on "B" Street near 4th Avenue in St. Albans. Church offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
St. Marks Methodist Church
This church was built in 1912. Featuring a dome tiled in green and a Corinthian portico, St. Marks seems to be patterned after ancient Rome's great Pantheon. The stately broad columns are carefully carved. 900 Washington St., East. Take I-64E to the Leon Sullivan Way/Capital Street exit (Exit 100). Turn right at the first light onto Washington Street. Turn right onto Dickinson street to enter the parking lot which is located behind the church.
Statue of St. Francis of Assisi
This statue stands in the courtyard of St. Francis Hospital and is the work of William D. Hopen, a West Virginia artist from Sutton, WV. Other works of Mr. Hopen include the statue of Booker T. Washington on the State Capitol grounds and “Mother With Children” located at the Mother's Day Shrine in Grafton, West Virginia. View the statue at 333 Laidley Street.
Terminal Building
Constructed in 1910, this eight-story office building was originally the National City Bank building. Fine cream-colored terra cotta trim accentuates the parapet and cornice.
Corner of Kanawha Blvd. and Capitol Streets.
Union Building
Clarence L. Harding, architect. The tallest building in West Virginia at the time of its construction in 1911, the landmark Union Building is a symbol of Charleston's early banking and business concerns. It was originally named the Alderson-Stephenson Building in honor of businessmen Charles Alderson and Samuel Stephenson, the men who financed its construction. Located at 723 Kanawha Blvd., East.
Victorian Block, Capitol Street
This group of buildings includes some of the oldest structures on Capitol Street, dating back to 1887.
Situated on the east side of Capitol Street between Virginia & Quarrier Streets
Virgil A. Lewis House
This was once the home of Virgil A. Lewis, West Virginia's first state historian and author of the book The Life and Times of Ann Bailey. The property was purchased in order to preserve his home and to provide an excellent site for a library building for the town of Mason. Located in Mason, West Virginia, is registered on the National Register of Historic Places. For information, phone 304-773-5200 |
