Jan. 4, 2016
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Culture and History (WVDCH) will travel to Morgantown, Monongalia County, to recognize Woodburn Hall, one of 14 historic sites featured in the 2016 State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) calendar.
At noon, Friday, Jan. 8, a presentation will take place at Arts Monongahela located at 201 High Street in Morgantown. The 2016 calendar celebrates the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The new calendar will be unveiled along with a certificate presentation.
“We are pleased to announce the publication of our 2016 calendar, which highlights 50 years of West Virginia’s contributions to the national historic preservation movement,” said WVDCH Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith. “The individual buildings and sites included in our calendar represent our state’s commitment to its historic resources.”
Susan Pierce, director of the SHPO added, “The calendar is the state historic preservation office’s annual educational publication, which shares information about our state’s historic resources and the programs that protect and preserve them. We are happy to be part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.”
Woodburn Hall is located in Woodburn Circle on the campus of West Virginia University and is just one example of buildings that West Virginia’s higher education institutions continue to use as they preserve their histories. The hall was completed in 1876 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974. The initial building cost of $41,500 was funded by a state property tax, levied at a rate of five cents per $100 of property. In 2010, the building was subject to a $3.9 million restoration project, which included a new roof, the replacement of iron finials to the towers and the implementation of modern safety and energy-reducing features. Since the turn of the twentieth century the building has housed the College of Arts and Sciences. Woodburn Hall is featured in the 2016 calendar for September along with Marshall University’s Old Main.
For more information contact Caryn Gresham, deputy commissioner of the WVDCH, at (304) 558-0220 or Caryn.S.Gresham@wv.gov.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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