OVERVIEW

A landmark store building two miles from the US-19 expressway near Oak Hill includes more than 6,000 square feet of interior space featuring a large central room encircled by a broad mezzanine. Built as a mercantile for the New River Company in 1928, it has long been the home of the National Drapery Workroom, a manufacturer of custom draperies nationwide. The building may be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

HIGHLIGHTS & ATTRIBUTES

• Large Central Room
• Art Moderne architecture
• Commercial-grade utilities
• Potential historical tax credits
• 2 miles to US-19 expressway
• 2 miles to the National Scout Reserve
• 3 miles to the New River Gorge
• 3 miles to Plum Orchard Lake
• 8 expressway miles to I-77, I-64
• 15 miles to New River Gorge Bridge

HISTORY OF THE BUILDING

Noted for its Art Moderne design, the brick-and-stone New River Company Store at Scarbro was built in 1928 as a mercantile for the New River Company, a mining concern that employed thousands in the early and mid-1900s. The store was one of eight that the company maintained to serve the needs of employees and their families.

The present store building was the second built by the company on the site and was erected following a fire that destroyed an earlier wooden structure. Built by R.H. Hammill & Co., of Huntington, the new building was “fire-proof” and built of brick, block, and steel on the earlier stone foundation. Its design featured many large casement windows that lit the interior and its merchandise. A post office operated in a flanking wing of the building.

The building’s large central room was designed to impress customers while making optimal use of merchandising space. Its two stories, which are 61 feet wide and 70 feet deep, are encircled at the second story by a broad mezzanine. The floor plan allowed shoppers to wander among display cases and view much or the merchandise in the store from the center of the room.

Ironically, the new building opened while mining at Scarbro was nearing its end. Miners were instead working at mines nearby at Whipple, Oakwood, Lochgelly, and Summerlee, while Scarbro was being transformed into a residential community. The building today is practically all that remains to indicate a town with multiple commercial and industrial buildings stood near the site.

In 1971, the building was purchased by its present owner for use as a workshop for National Drapery Workroom, manufacturer of custom draperies. The workroom has since managed the production of innovative window treatments in the building, utilizing its high ceiling and mezzanine to facilitate the production process. The company’s work is nationally extolled. Among its most famous commissions, it was engaged by the White House to produce exquisite velvet draperies for the Blue Room.

NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS

Though the property is not now protected, state officials have expressed that the building may be eligible for inclusion of the National Register of Historic Places, providing funding for its repair and maintenance. Grants and tax credits of more than 45 percent would be provided to owners to cover the costs of repair thereafter. Register status may also be used to secure funding from other economic development sources.

BUILDING SPECIFICATIONS

The building consists chiefly of a two-story structure of brick and block seated on a stone foundation. It is flanked to the north by a one-story wing in which a post office and freight entrance were located. To either side of the main entrance, the first-floor front of the building is flanked by expanses of glass display windows, now boarded over. Its second floor is otherwise encircled by a series of large casement windows — six across the front, five along the south flank, and four at the rear. Most are seven feet wide and five feet tall.

The building’s dominant feature is a two-story interior space encircled by a broad mezzanine. Its dimensions nearly reach the full dimensions of the central building, with an interior space 17 feet tall, 61 feet wide and 70 feet deep. A suspended mezzanine encircles the large interior space.

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.952131, -81.165296
Address: 7880 Plum Orchard Lake Road, Scarbro, WV 25917
Elevation Range: 1,715 to 1,722 feet above sea level

MINERAL RESOURCES

The owner’s deed says that the ownership is SURFACE ONLY. West Virginia is one of the states in the U.S. that has two ownership titles, those being SURFACE RIGHTS and MINERAL RIGHTS. The minerals and mineral rights have been excepted and reserved in the owner’s deed.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

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

UTILITIES

Water: W.Va. Water Co.
Electricity: American Electric Power (three-phase)
Natural Gas: Mountaineer Gas Co.
Internet: High-speed service available
Fire Service: Oak Hill Fire Department
Cell: 5G coverage by several carriers
Sewer: White Oak Public Service District

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

The property is accessed by frontage on Scarbro Road (CR-21/20).

ZONING

Fayette County is subject to some zoning and subdivision regulations. All prospective buyers should consult the Fayette County Commission and the Fayette County Health Department for details regarding zoning, building codes, and installation of septic systems.

PROPERTY TYPE/USE SUMMARY

The property is used as a workshop for the manufacture of draperies. A large empty lot adjoining the building on Scarbro Road was formerly the site of a movie theater.

DEED AND TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: Deed Book 373, Page 5; Deed Book 435, Page 714
Fayette County, West Virginia
Acreage: 1.46 acres +/-

Real Estate Tax ID/Acreage/Taxes:
Fayette County (10), West Virginia
Plateau District (2)
Tax Maps: 29L Parcels 104, 105; Class 3

2023 Real Estate Taxes: $647

SCHOOLS

Public & Private Schools

The property is located within the Fayette County School District. Public school students attend 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 10 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 Glen Jean.

TRANSPORTATION

The property was chosen as a location for the present workshop as a result of easy interstate highway access, though air and train traffic are also convenient to the location.

Motor Vehicle Traffic

The property is fewer than two miles from the US-19 expressway and eight miles north of the expressway’s junction with I-77 and I-64 at North Beckley (exit 48). It is also eight miles from I-77 and I-64 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. 12 min (7.8 mi)

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, a 20-minute drive from the property.

SURROUNDING AREA

The property is located at Scarbro, an unincorporated 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 within two miles of the town, linking a series of municipalities, including the cities of Beckley, Oak Hill, and Mount Hope, and the Town of Fayetteville. An estimated 100,000 residents live in the region, which may best be known as the home of the New River Gorge Bridge, until recently the world’s longest single-span arch bridge and one of the state’s leading tourist attractions.

Scarbro

An unincorporated community of some 250 residents, Scarbro was a former farming community that developed in the upper valley of White Oak Creek. It was named for the family of Scarboroughs who settled in the area. After the development of the coal mining industry in the region in the late 1800s, it became a mining community, but now that coal is no longer mined, it is chiefly residential. Through the mid-1900s, the present company store was the focus of activity in the town, which developed along Scarbro Road, now an alternate route paralleling the US-19 expressway between Oak Hill and Glen Jean. Now that tourism has become a chief economic driver in the region, the town is also known as an entrance to Plum Orchard Lake Wildlife Management Area, a 2.6-mile drive from the store.

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 three million visitors annually to the region. Two national park visitor centers are 10 and 15 minutes from Scarbro. 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 five 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 near 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. Amtrak service is also provided at the nearby passenger station at Prince.

DRIVE TIMES

Though in a rural area, Scarbro and the property are located near the center of the eastern U.S. The following mileage and drive time estimates are based on Google calculations.

LOCAL DESTINATIONS

2.5 miles to Summit Bechtel Reserve
4.5 miles to national park boundary
5 minutes to City of Oak Hill
10 minutes to City of Mount Hope
15 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