Cityscape of Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...

central business district is located to the south of the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

, east of the Robert C. Byrd Bridge

Robert C. Byrd Bridge

The Robert C. Byrd Bridge is a continuous truss automobile bridge that crosses the Ohio River between Huntington, West Virginia and Chesapeake, Ohio. The crossing was constructed to replace an old, narrow two lane structure that was demolished after 69 years of service in a spectacular implosion...

, and west of Hal Greer Boulevard. Broad avenues and streets dominate the streetscape, creating for the most part an even grid pattern. Another business district is in Old Central City, known for its numerous antique shops and Heiner's Bakery.

Several major industries line the river, from the Steel of West Virginia industrial complex next to Marshall University

Marshall University

Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....

to Special Metals, located along the Guyandotte River

Guyandotte River

The Guyandotte River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 166 mi long, in southwestern West Virginia in the United States. It was named after the French term for the Wendat Native Americans...

in the Altizer neighborhood. The proximity of the Ohio River

Ohio River

played an important role in the development of heavy industry in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Rust Belt

Rust Belt

The Rust Belt is a term that gained currency in the 1980s as the informal description of an area straddling the Midwestern and Northeastern United States, in which local economies traditionally garnered an increased manufacturing sector to add jobs and corporate profits...

deindustrialization era of the 1970s led to a decline in the industrial base and, subsequently, Huntington's population.

The saving grace, in terms of employment, has been the steadily-growing service sector. Two major hospitals, St. Mary's and Cabell-Huntington, have seen major expansion projects that have doubled their footprints during the past twenty years.

The city's architecture contains a wealth of historic structures, most built during the boom of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...

and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. Notable structures include the 12-story Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third Bank is a U.S. regional banking corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the principal subsidiary of holding company Fifth Third Bancorp ....

(formerly St. James) Building, with its huge Doric

Doric order

The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...

columns presenting a grand entrance to the ornate lobby. The West Virginia Building is a deep-red brick structure that looms over 4th Avenue and at the time of its completion, was the tallest tower in the state but has since fallen to 18th, behind the office towers of Charleston. Numerous others are scattered throughout the downtown, ranging from the beautifully restored Guaranty Bank and Trust Building to the high-rise Coal Exchange Building. Grand residential homes and mansions line along Ritter Creek and the steep hills that loom behind it, many built by the railroad barons of the past.

Downtown

Urban renewal

During the 1960s and 1970s, major urban renewal

Urban renewal

Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...

projects began in Huntington. Four square blocks between 3rd Avenue and what is now Veterans Memorial Boulevard were demolished. One block was utilized for the construction of the Huntington Civic Center

Big Sandy Superstore Arena

The Big Sandy Superstore Arena, originally known as the Huntington Civic Center and later as the Huntington Civic Arena, is a municipal complex located in the downtown area of Huntington, West Virginia one block west of Pullman Square. The Big Sandy Superstore Arena consists of a 9,000-seat...

, while another featured a Wendy's

Wendy's

Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...

fast-food restaurant and an apartment building. Two square blocks remained a vast parking lot for the greater part of 30 years, bordered by 8th Street, Veterans Memorial Boulevard, 10th Street, and 3rd Avenue, and was nicknamed the Superblock. The inclusion of a Chi-Chi's

Chi-Chi's

Chi-Chi's was a popular Mexican restaurant chain from 1975 to 2004. It ceased to exist within the United States following a 2003 Hepatitis A outbreak that began at one of its locations in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Chi-Chi's is still in operation in Belgium, Luxembourg, United Arab...

Mexican restaurant on a small corner parcel in the early 1990s was the only development along the Superblock. The urban renewal effort of the past also produced the Radisson Hotel

Radisson Hotels

Radisson Hotels is one of the leading, full-service global hotel companies with more than 420 locations in 73 countries. The first Radisson Hotel was built in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1909, and was named after the 17th-century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson...

complex along 3rd Avenue, Mack and Dave's new storefront, and Heritage Village. It also spawned the pedestrian-only 9th Street Plaza.

A new Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...

hotel complex was constructed in 1998 between 8th and 9th Streets. In 2004, construction began on Pullman Square, a lifestyle center

Lifestyle center

Lifestyle center may refer to:* Lifestyle center * Lifestyle center...

, which consumed the remainder of the Superblock. It opened later that year.

In July 2006, work began on the improved 9th Street Plaza, which features 12 feet (3.7 m) sidewalks, outdoor seating for restaurants, two 11 feet (3.4 m) travel lanes, and center angled parking. Brick pedestals were constructed that hold two spires from the former 6th Street Bridge

Robert C. Byrd Bridge

, installed at the entrances to the plaza at 3rd and 5th Avenues. The new 9th Street Plaza reopened on December 1, and creates a symbolic link between the Pullman Square

Pullman Square

Pullman Square is a lifestyle center in downtown Huntington, West Virginia between 8th and 10th Street and 3rd Avenue and Veteran's Memorial Boulevard. It is located on what was known as the Superblock, a large urban renewal project that saw the demolishing of four city-square-blocks in 1970...

district and the remainder of downtown.

As a result of much needed downtown investment, numerous properties have been renovated or are in the process of renovations and new storefronts and lofts are being constructed. One of the spin-offs from the construction of Pullman Square was the renovation of the 900 block of 3rd Avenue, which was nearly all vacant. The renovation of numerous facades elsewhere, such as the removal of metal sheathing over brickwork, have been ongoing. During the construction of Pullman Square

Pullman Square

, the renovations along the 900 block of 3rd Avenue commenced with most storefronts now being rented out. On the Friday after Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving (United States)

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...

in 2007, Le Cook Store opened across from Pullman Square opened; the Marshall Community and Technical College's Culinary Institute, which offers cooking classes and sample food tastings, opened. Another tenant, C.F. Reuschlein Jewelers, opened during the same month along the block;

New vision

On June 5, 1999, a study was unveiled for streetscape improvements, some of which was later incorporated as part of the Pullman Square and 9th Street Plaza projects. The reported that the "old downtown of department store

Department store

A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...

s" was gone and that successful downtowns of today need to attract "residential development in upper stories" in which retail stores would follow, and then offices and restaurants. Some of the recommendations included,

Revitalize downtown Huntington as a critical step in revitalizing the entire region's image and economy.
Increasing funding for the Huntington Main Street program.
Welcoming signs at 8th Street and 10th Street underpasses.
Develop the Superblock.
Encourage residential development in the upper floors of buildings.
Strengthen existing downtown retailers and add new retail, restaurant and entertainment venues.
Seek professional offices for the downtown.
Enhance the downtown's physical appearance.
"Improve vehicular and pedestrian access, flow and environments."
Improve the perception of ample and convenient parking in the downtown.
Create a destination draw for the downtown based upon the combination of the area's "natural history, cultural history, museums, musical offerings and other special features."

Heritage Village

During the height of the urban renewal projects of the 1960s and 1970s, community and local leaders became involved with the fund-raising efforts of the Cabell-Wayne Historical Society and the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society. The goal was to create a unique downtown shopping, dining, and entertainment complex with a mix of historical structures relocated from other sites in Huntington. Although it is now considered a "lifestyle center

Lifestyle center

Lifestyle center may refer to:* Lifestyle center * Lifestyle center...

," it was at the time a rather novel idea in a push to get traffic into the downtown area.

Heritage Village was completed on September 2, 1977. It features the 1892 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

passenger station, a 1911 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad freight house

Freight House

The Freight House is a historic railroad building just north of Union Station in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, Missouri. The renovated Freight House is now home to three award-winning restaurants: Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue, Grunauer and Lidia's...

, and the 1871 Bank of Huntington building. The railroad structures from the Baltimore and Ohio became obsolete in 1965 with the consolidation of its operations into the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in Huntington. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad donated two boxcar

Boxcar

A boxcar is a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry general freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is probably the most versatile, since it can carry most loads...

s and the railroad historical society donated a steam engine and a Southern Railway sleeping car, also called a pullman.

Pullman Square

is a lifestyle center

Lifestyle center

Lifestyle center may refer to:* Lifestyle center * Lifestyle center...

in downtown Huntington between 8th and 10th Streets and 3rd Avenue and Veterans Memorial Boulevard. It is located on what was known as the "Superblock", a large urban renewal project that saw the demolishing of four city-square blocks in 1970. The collection of one- and two-story structures includes the 16-screen movie theater, Marquee Cinemas

Marquee Cinemas

Marquee Cinemas is a chain of movie theaters operated out of Beckley, West Virginia since its 1979 inception.Currently, the chain consists of nineteen theaters in the following locations....

, and the "Funny Bone Comedy Club". It also includes numerous retail establishments and restaurants.

Old Main

The Old Main Corridor project, envisioned originally as a streetscape redevelopment of 4th Avenue between Hal Greer Boulevard to 6th Street in downtown Huntington, was revamped and unveiled on October 31, 2006 at the Memorial Student Center. The goal is to connect the downtown and Marshall University

Marshall University

by "building off the success of Pullman Square."

The original plan, designed in 2003, entailed the construction of gardens and a public plaza along Hal Greer Boulevard at 4th and 5th Avenues adjacent to Marshall University

Marshall University

, along with the streetscape improvements. The gardens and public plazas were eliminated from the revamped plans due to cost. The new design is estimated to cost $2.5 million. Funding has been secured for the project between 9th and 10th Streets along 4th Avenue with construction beginning in 2007. $350,000 has been requested in a federal transportation enhancement grant that would cover the cost of streetscape improvements between Hal Greer Boulevard and 12th Street; construction on that section could begin in 2008.

The final result will include the repaving of 4th Avenue and the reduction of lanes from four to two; one-lane in each direction with left-turn lanes at each intersection, and the addition of bike lanes from Hal Greer Blvd. to 6th Street; on-street parking will not be affected. New trees and street lights, similar to what was installed along 3rd Avenue near Pullman Square and along 9th Street, will be installed along 4th Avenue. Other safety improvement projects and traffic calming

Traffic calming

Traffic calming is intended to slow or reduce motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve the living conditions for residents as well as to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming...

features, such as the replacing of sidewalks and curb extensions, will enhance pedestrian safety.

Kinetic Park

Kinetic Park is a 95 acres (384,451.7 m²) technology park being developed along Interstate 64

Interstate 64

Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. 40, and U.S. 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. As I-64 is concurrent with...

in Huntington. There are two sections of Kenetic Park. The lower section of the park will be used for commercial businesses, and the upper section of the park will be used for technology startups and corporations. Currently, there are 3 commercial and 11 technology lots available.

Commercial outlots

The lower level of Kinetic Park has over 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) available for commercial uses that will complement the Technology Park area. Intended uses include restaurants, lodging, banking, personal services and other retail businesses that can conveniently serve employees of the Technology Park and surrounding area. Currently only two tenants occupy the commercial level, a Bob Evans

Bob Evans Restaurants

Bob Evans Farms, Inc. is a food service, processing, and retail company based in Columbus, Ohio. The company is named after its founder, Bob Evans . It operates two family dining restaurant chains in the United States, Bob Evans Restaurants and Mimi's Cafe...

Restaurant and a TownePlace Suites by Marriott

TownePlace Suites

TownePlace Suites, a division of the Marriott International hotel chain, is an extended-stay hotel chain generally catering to a more mid-priced market than its more upscale sister brand, Residence Inn, also operated by Marriott International.-History:...

Technology park

The upper level of Kinetic Park consists of nearly 23 acres (93,077.8 m²) available for businesses that desire a signature location within a state-of-the-art high technology equipped office park. The first tenants, Huntington Dermatology Inc. and Sullivan Webb, will move into a new 10000 sq ft (929 m²). structure in spring 2007. Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

began construction on a new customer support call-center at the site in July of 2011, to replace the call center it had located in downtown Huntington. Work on the building was completed the following October, and was opened soon afterwards.

Marshall University

There are numerous historical and modern buildings at Marshall University. The tallest of these are the Twin Towers and the oldest is Old Main

Old Main (Marshall University)

Old Main is a collection of five buildings joined together at central campus of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia . It is located at the junction of Hal Greer Boulevard and Fourth Avenue...

. In 2007, construction is expected to begin on the Health and Wellness Center

Health and Wellness Center (Marshall University)

The Marshall Recreation Center at Marshall University is located at 5th Avenue and 20th Street in Huntington, West Virginia. The complex is part of a $95 million expansion plan that includes two new "living-learning" residence halls - History :...

, which includes two new dormitories

Dormitory

A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...

and a parking garage.

External links

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