Bluefield hopes to rehabilitate former church

Yahoo

18-05-2025

bluefield — Bluefield officials are still hoping to rehabilitate an old church located on Duhring Street.
The former church, which is on the state's historic preservation list, has been vacant for a number of years now. It was founded in 1907 as the First Baptist Church. The structure is currently owned by the city of Bluefield, which is seeking to renovate the church as part of a larger vision for the area.
That vision also includes new housing construction for first-time home buyers in the neighborhood near the church.
'The city does own the church outside of city hall. The Duhring Street Church,' City Manager Cecil Marson said. 'It's an old, old church. It has stained glass windows. It is a super nice church.'
Marson said the city's goal is to rehabilitate the old church and find a new use for it, possibly as a job training site or small business incubator. The vision also includes new housing construction in the Duhring Street area, which also connects to Roger Street near city hall.
The city is still searching for funding to complete the work. While the city was approved for an initial grant for the project, the funding agency that would have provided the grant was later terminated. Thus the city didn't receive the funding.
The old First Baptist Church on Duhring Street isn't to be confused with the nearby Immanuel Lutheran Church, which is still an active congregation and is located at 103 Duhring Street. Both the old First Baptist Church and the Immanuel Lutheran Church are located adjacent to the municipal hall facilities in Bluefield.
Marson said the search for new funding continues — not just for the church renovations but also for the housing project.
'Our focus is around it (the church) and a potential housing area for a first-time home buyer,' Marson said.
Housing has been an issue of concern in the city in recent years.
The Bluefield Board of Directors launched a study in 2024 on the city's housing needs in cooperation with Virginia Tech. That 2024 study identified a housing shortage in Bluefield and focused on housing needs in the city over the next five to 10 years.
The church itself wouldn't be used for housing, but it could be utilized for job training or other purposes.
Because of its designation as a historic structure, Marson said the city is limited in what changes can be made to the church itself.
'You can't make major changes to the facade,' Marson said. 'There is restrictions on what you can do. They have to have oversight of it.'
For example, the city will have to contract with a professional firm to make repairs to the stain glass windows inside of the old church.
'We would need to bring in a professional to look at those,' Marson said of the stain glass windows. 'They would need to be cleaned and redone. It would have to be kind of a professional stain-glass person who can restore that.'
While it may appear unusual for a city to own a former church, Marson said it really isn't — pointing to a similar situation in Northern West Virginia.
'I don't think it is unusual,' he said. 'Cities inherently get a lot of property that is in bad shape. I'm sure there are tons of cities across the country that have churches in their portfolios.'
The city has owned the church for a number of years. Marson said the old church went through different owners throughout the years, and was associated with the Baptist denomination.
Finding additional funding to renovate the former church, and to launch the new housing project, is the next step for the city.
'We are working on stuff right now, different grants, putting some stuff together,' Marson said. 'We are working to try to get the funding so we can start this project. We are actively working on it right now.'
The old church isn't the only historic structure owned by the city, or a city-affiliated commission.
Marson said the Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Commission also owns the old Traveler's Hotel, which is located near the Raleigh Street Cinemas.
The old hotel was originally a Green Book property offering lodging to Black travelers during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. In 1950 it was converted into an office building and offered some dining in the 1980s and 1990s. It is currently vacant although BARC is hoping to revitalize it.
The Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Commission also owns the Granada Theater, a historic structure that was brought back to life by the commission a number of years ago.
The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, the statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the state's historic places and properties, recently announced the recipients of the 2025 West Virginia Historic Preservation Awards, and the Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Commission, or BARC for short, was one of the recipients.
BARC received the Adaptive Reuse Award for its efforts to revitalize the old Granada Theater, along with the adjoining Raleigh Street Cinemas and Education Center.
The Granada Theater originally opened in 1927 at its current location on 537 Commerce Street. It was originally used as a Vaudeville and movie theater, and at one time was even a dance club. The venue is currently used for cinema and live performances.
The Granada Theater was recently added to the West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail. That statewide trail was designed to promote cultural tourism by showcasing the state's diverse theatrical heritage
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