OVERVIEW

Off the US-19 expressway in Mount Hope, this former federal office complex was home to the U.S. Bureau of Mines and benefits from the durability of federal construction. It offers more 34,000 square feet of well-maintained interior space served by an outstanding utility system. Its strategic location provides easy access to the national park, the National Scout Reserve, and expressways I-64 and I-77. A drive of only 10 minutes from the hub city of Beckley and 15 minutes from the New River Gorge Bridge, it’s central to a market area of more than 150,000 that welcomes more than 1.7 million tourists annually.

HIGHLIGHTS AND ATTRIBUTES

• Approximately 34,568 square feet
• Three stories: 65 office and meeting rooms
• Brick and reinforced concrete construction
• Municipal support and services
• Built to federal standards
• 1.5 miles from US-19 expressway
• Easy access to the national park
• Easy access to National Scout reserve
• Market area of more than 150,000
• 1.7 million tourists in the region annually

ABOUT THE BUILDING

The U.S. Bureau of Mines was established by Congress in 1910 in response to a wave of catastrophic mining disasters. Mount Hope was deemed the ideal location for a regional headquarters for the bureau, and in 1958 the cornerstone on the present structure was set. In 1966 a third floor was added, and as many as 100 persons might have worked in the structure, both employees of the bureau and of the U.S. General Services Administration, which managed the building. The building included more than 65 offices and meeting rooms and laboratories. Men’s and women’s common restrooms on each floor are accessible, and the hydraulic elevator is operational. Surface parking is located directly off Stadium Drive, and additional surface parking is available on city property nearby.

The bureau was phased out in the late 1990s, and its functions were transferred to other agencies, such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. In 2020, the building was sold to its present owner. It has been determined to be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places and adjoins the Mount Hope Historic District. However, it is not listed on the register nor in the district. Pursuing inclusion could provide the owners state and federal funding for maintenance and repair.

UTILITIES

Water: City of Mt. Hope
Sewer: City of Mt. Hope
Electricity: Appalachian Power
Telephone: Multiple servers are available
Internet:  Suddenlink, now Optima, Frontier and others are available
Cellphone Coverage: Excellent

MECHANICAL & IMPROVEMENTS

• Two interior elevators
• A diverse floor plan with many offices, classrooms, labs, and a motor garage annex
• Industrial-grade electrical service
• Industrial-grade heating system

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

The property fronts on Bluestone Road at Stadium Drive, both residential streets maintained by the city.

ZONING

For details regarding zoning and building codes, all prospective buyers should consult the City of Mt. Hope, the Fayette County Commission, and the Fayette County Health Department.

MINERAL RESOURCES

West Virginia is one of the states in the U.S. that has two ownership titles, those being SURFACE RIGHTS and MINERAL RIGHTS.  This property is being conveyed as SURFACE ONLY.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

DEED AND TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: DB 819 Pg. 549
Fayette County, West Virginia
Acreage: 0.96 acres +/-

Real Estate Tax ID/Acreage/Taxes:
Fayette County (10), West Virginia
Mt. Hope Corp (8), Map 5, Parcel 61
Class 4

2021 Real Estate Taxes:  Exempt

SCHOOLS

Public & Private Schools

The property is located within the Fayette County School District. Public school students attend Mt. Hope Elementary and the multi-use campus at Oak Hill where primary, intermediate, and high schools and the county’s vocational school are located. Several private schools within the Fayette County School District operate in the region, and homeschool programs are supported.

Higher Education

West Virginia University and New River Community & Technical College maintain campuses at Beckley, 15 miles to the south. Concord University and Bluefield State College courses are offered at the nearby Irma Byrd Higher Education Center. Appalachian Bible College is a drive of approximately five minutes south at Bradley.

HEALTHCARE

The nearest hospital to the property, Plateau Medical Center, at Oak Hill, is a two-mile drive with 25 beds and an emergency care unit. Nearby, at Beckley, medical facilities include Raleigh General Hospital, with 300 beds, and Appalachian Regional Hospital, with 173 beds. They include emergency rooms and are both approximately 20 minutes away. A Veterans Administration Medical Center with 80 beds, including 30 long-term care beds, is also located at Beckley. Major state medical centers are found in Charleston and Morgantown, an hour and 2.5 hours from Mount Hope.

TRANSPORTATION

The property is central to the network of interstate and regional expressways that converge in southern West Virginia and is well served by air and rail services.

Motor Vehicle Traffic

The property is fewer than two miles from the US-19 expressway and four miles north of the expressway’s junction with I-77 and I-64 at North Beckley (exit 48). It is also 12 miles from the I-77 and I-64 exit at Mossy (exit 60). More than 19,000 motor vehicles pass on US-19 daily, including more than 3,000 trucks, while more than 31,000 vehicles use the interstates daily, including more than 12,000 trucks.

Air Travel

Near Beckley, the nearest airport is a 30-minute drive. Yeager Airport at Charleston, a 55-minute drive, is West Virginia’s largest airport and is served by Delta, Spirit, United, and American. Its busiest domestic routes are Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, Orlando, and Washington. It is also home to the McLaughlin Air National Guard Base.

Train Travel

Freight and Amtrak passenger rail services are provided to stations nearby at Prince and Thurmond, both a drive of 15 minutes.

SURROUNDING AREA

The property is located at Mount Hope, an incorporated community in the heart of the New River Gorge region. Its economy is centered chiefly around the national park and outdoor recreation. The US-19 expressway runs north to south along the west flank of the community, linking a series of municipalities, including the cities of Beckley, Oak Hill, and Mount Hope, and the Town of Fayetteville. An estimated 150,000 residents live in the region, which attracts more than 1.7 million tourists annually.

Mount Hope

Located along a natural passage through the Appalachian Mountains, Mount Hope has continuously been associated with travel. Its first settler operated a thriving tavern along what had been an important Native American trail, and in the late 1900s, the town flourished as a result of its accessibility in a mining region. That accessibility attracted the attention of the federal government, which established its U.S. Bureau of Mines regional headquarters there. Its accessibility grew manyfold in the 1980s after the completion of the US-19 expressway, which now links the community to interstate traffic. Tourism potential increased then with the arrival of the National Park Service, which in 2020 established the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

One of the nation’s newest national parks, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve attracts more than a million visitors annually to the region. Two national park visitor centers are 10 and 15 minutes from Mount Hope. The park’s best-known attraction, the New River Gorge Bridge, is a drive of approximately 15 minutes at Fayetteville. Hiking, biking, angling, hunting, kayaking, and camping are popular throughout the park, though it may best be known as a destination for rock climbing and whitewater rafting. The park is among the nation’s top destinations for both.

Summit Bechtel National Scout Reserve

Less than two miles from the property, the 14,000-acre Bechtel Reserve, also known as “The Summit,” is a world-class outdoor recreation park that also hosts the quadrennial Boy Scout Jamboree and is home to one of five national high-adventure bases for the scouts. The 24th World Scout Jamboree welcomed more than 45,000 visitors in 2019. The 17th Interamerican Scout Jamboree was celebrated in 2023. The reserve is the home of the organization’s Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base, the James C. Justice National Scout Camp, and the John D. Tickle National Training and Leadership Center.

Hunting Preserves

Two public hunting and fishing areas with a combined 10,000 acres of woodland are located within 15 miles of the property. Deer, bear, turkey, and squirrel are the principal game taken. The Plum Orchard Lake Wildlife Management Area includes 202-acre Plum Orchard Lake, a popular flatwater kayaking and fishing destination. The Beury Mountain Wildlife Management area conserves some of the most remote highland forests in the region. In addition to the two preserves, hunting in the national park is also permitted in season on more than 65,000 acres.

Outdoor Recreation Resorts

Based around the national park, seven outdoor adventure resorts are located within a 15-minute drive of the property. All offer guided whitewater rafting tours on the New and Gauley rivers, and most include basecamps that accommodate cabins and camping and coordinate outdoor recreation adventures. Several offer canopy tours, zip lines, and adventure courses.

Historic Thurmond

Deep in the New River Gorge, tiny Thurmond is among the most visited locales in the national park. A quintessential ghost town with a population of five permanent residents, it includes a collection of historic buildings and a restored passenger station, which houses a seasonal park visitor center and is a functional Amtrak flag-stop on a Chicago-Washington-New York City line.

DRIVE TIMES

Mount Hope is located near the center of the eastern U.S. The following mileage and drive time estimates are based on Google calculations.

LOCAL DESTINATIONS

3.5 miles to Summit Bechtel Reserve gate 1
5 miles to Summit Bechtel Reserve gate 2
5 miles to national park boundary
7 minutes to City of Oak Hill
10 minutes to I-77/64 at North Beckley
15 minutes to Town of Fayetteville
15 minutes to New River Gorge Bridge
15 minutes to City of Beckley
20 minutes to Town of Pax
30 minutes to Summersville Lake
35 minutes to Winterplace Ski Resort
35 minutes to Town of Summersville
50 minutes to City of Hinton
55 minutes to City of Charleston
60 minutes to I-79 near Sutton

REGIONAL U.S. DESTINATIONS

55 miles to Charleston, West Virginia
90 miles to Blacksburg, Virginia
100 miles to Huntington, West Virginia
130 miles to Clarksburg, West Virginia
160 miles to Morgantown, West Virginia
170 miles to Winston-Salem, North Carolina
200 miles to Charlottesville, Virginia
215 miles to Columbus, Ohio
215 miles to Charlotte, North Carolina
225 miles to Lexington, Kentucky
225 miles to Knoxville, Tennessee
230 miles to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
250 miles to Cincinnati, Ohio
260 miles to Richmond, Virginia
300 miles to Cleveland, Ohio
315 miles to Washington, D.C.
350 miles to Baltimore, Maryland
350 miles to Erie, Pennsylvania
450 miles to Atlanta, Georgia