BRAMWELL, W. Va. (WVVA) – Built in 1910, Bramwell’s Pence Hotel has long been a Main Street landmark, but it has fallen into disrepair over the years. The Bramwell Foundation has been working to restore this century-old building that greets visitors to Bramwell’s Main Street, but a problem was discovered that forced them to change their plans.
“We didn’t realize that the floors in the Pence Hotel were all resting on the first floor… it’s a three-story building with a roof on top, and everything was resting on the first floor, and the main beam on the first floor slipped out of its support, and when that happened, all the other floors started to shake,” says Howard Troutner, president of the Bramwell Foundation.
Grants have enabled them to complete the first phase of stabilization, but they are still looking for grants to raise the remaining $260,000.
Their work did not go unnoticed, however, as they received a visit from 1st Congressional District Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV), who toured the hotel and theater next door, as well as the new suites above Main Street, to see what these places could one day be. She says she has wanted to stop by this historic town for several years.
“I had always heard about the town where all the millionaires lived and how they sold Chanel No. 5 right here and the trains and… but you have to see it to really understand it and go back in time. It’s an incredible journey,” says Congresswoman Miller.
Troutner says he and Congresswoman Miller have discussed ways to find funding for restoration efforts and hopes she can use her connections to save these buildings.
He says if these two buildings were demolished, not only would a third of the city centre be lost, but also an important part of the area’s past.
“First of all, they are on the federal historic sites list and Bramwell is also on the historic sites list, and both buildings support Bramwell’s inclusion on that list. Bramwell came up with it because there are buildings like this that are on the federal historic sites list,” Troutner says.
Congresswoman Miller says there must be a way to make these plans a reality, adding, “It’s our history, we should preserve it.”
Troutner says they are working with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to determine the best use of the buildings, with the goal of providing economic benefit to the entire region. They hope that once the building is stabilized, a qualified contractor can take over and finish the project.
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