Mountaineer Hotel
Encyclopedia
Mountaineer Hotel is an historic hotel located in Williamson, West Virginia
. Situated at the corner of East Second Avenue and Court Street with the main entrance located on East Second Avenue, the one hundred sixteen room hotel
is in the center the downtown commercial district
.
The Classical Revival building was built in 1925, and added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
on March 21, 1997.
sponsored an executive committee to raise funds for a new local hotel. Shares of stock
for a new hotel were sold to 1400 stockholder, who were mostly local residents, and $493,000 was raised. Four lots were purchased for $90, 000 in the central commercial district, and in 1925 the community hotel was constructed. The Charleston, West Virginia
architectural firm of Meanor and Handloser designed the building, and the construction of the hotel was done by Payne Construction of Ashland, Kentucky
at a final cost of $600,000. In a naming contest held by the Chamber of Commerce, the name "Mountaineer Hotel" was chosen with a $100 prize going to the winner.
When dignitaries such as President John F. Kennedy
and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
; entrepreneurs such as Henry Ford
; and celebrities such as Loretta Lynn
and Hank Williams; came to the area, the Mountaineer Hotel was their temporary residence.
The square Classical Revival building stands five stories tall and all around the building at the street level there are large bay openings where various retail shops
are located. The exterior is framed with yellow glazed brick
.
The street level and mezzanine
stories are accentuated by a stringcourse at the cornice
line, with the cornice line accentuated by angled bricks to give a dentil
effect. Around the windows at the mezzanine level are false arch
brick work in a keystone and centered diamond pattern.
The roof's cornice line has brick corbeling, and below the corbel
ing is a row of bricks extended slightly from the facade with bricks in a diamond design intermittently interrupting the row pattern.
Williamson, West Virginia
Williamson is a city in Mingo County, West Virginia, USA, along the Tug Fork River. The population was 3,414 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mingo County, and is the county's largest and most populous city. Williamson is home to Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College...
. Situated at the corner of East Second Avenue and Court Street with the main entrance located on East Second Avenue, the one hundred sixteen room hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
is in the center the downtown commercial district
Commercial district
A commercial district or commercial zone is any part of a city or town in which the primary land use is commercial activities , as opposed to a residential neighbourhood, an industrial zone, or other types of neighbourhoods...
.
The Classical Revival building was built in 1925, and added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on March 21, 1997.
Construction
In 1923, in response to the rapid population and business growth in Williamson, the Williamson Chamber of CommerceChamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
sponsored an executive committee to raise funds for a new local hotel. Shares of stock
Stock
The capital stock of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors...
for a new hotel were sold to 1400 stockholder, who were mostly local residents, and $493,000 was raised. Four lots were purchased for $90, 000 in the central commercial district, and in 1925 the community hotel was constructed. The Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
architectural firm of Meanor and Handloser designed the building, and the construction of the hotel was done by Payne Construction of Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...
at a final cost of $600,000. In a naming contest held by the Chamber of Commerce, the name "Mountaineer Hotel" was chosen with a $100 prize going to the winner.
Events
The Mountaineer Hotel's location in the town center made it a key part of the Williamson's cultural history. Over the years, community events ranged from political rallies and civic club meetings to weddings, and reunions.When dignitaries such as President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
; entrepreneurs such as Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
; and celebrities such as Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
and Hank Williams; came to the area, the Mountaineer Hotel was their temporary residence.
Exterior
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
are located. The exterior is framed with yellow glazed brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
.
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
stories are accentuated by a stringcourse at the cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
line, with the cornice line accentuated by angled bricks to give a dentil
Dentil
In classical architecture a dentil is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect Vitruvius In classical architecture a dentil (from Lat. dens, a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice.The Roman architect...
effect. Around the windows at the mezzanine level are false arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
brick work in a keystone and centered diamond pattern.
The roof's cornice line has brick corbeling, and below the corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
ing is a row of bricks extended slightly from the facade with bricks in a diamond design intermittently interrupting the row pattern.