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The Morris Building was constructed in 1896 according to plans by Elmer F. Jacobs. The Romanesque Revival building features a three-story stone masonry façade. The storefront on the first floor has been so heavily modified as to be unrecognizable. From a circa 1910 photograph, it appears there were initially two storefronts, with doors at the edges of the façade. The two doors were separated by a large display window. The second story has three large rectangular windows connected by a single lintel band. There was once a balcony attached to the central window. The third floor appears to have changed the least. A bay of four arched windows vie for space under the parapet that crowns the building. The parapet was once stepped, though the highest central step has been removed. Still visible on the crest of the building are masonry letters spelling “MORRIS.” Dr. George Morris, who commissioned the building and housed his dentistry practice in it, stipulated in his will that the letters were not to be removed by future owners.

The Morris Building today. Note the heavily modified first floor.

Constructed in 1896, the Morris Building is a three-story Romanesque Revival structure. Many modifications have been made to the façade, particularly to the first floor storefront. The masonry letters at the top of the building still commemorate Dr. George Morris, who commissioned construction. Morris stipulated in his will that the letters could not be removed. 

Morris Building

This relatively short walking tour takes users to eleven historic Elmer F. Jacobs buildings in downtown Morgantown. Primarily active just before and after the turn of the nineteenth century, Jacobs was a prolific architect who designed buildings in an array of Romanesque, Gothic, and Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival styles. Enjoy exploring the civic, commercial, and religious contributions of "the man who built Morgantown." For more of Jacobs' work, also see the entries for the Seneca Center and Woodburn Hall.

Downtown Morgantown Elmer F. Jacobs Architectural Tour

Elmer F. Jacobs was born on June 11, 1866 in Preston County, WV. His family moved to Morgantown, where Jacobs attended West Virginia University. Jacobs then moved to Pittsburgh, where he attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology before working with J. I. Beatty. After designing fireproof factories for several years, the young architect returned to Morgantown, where he married Ella Woods in 1895. In the same year, Jacobs designed the Donley Building and established an office for himself on the third floor. His practice coincided perfectly with Morgantown's rapid growth at the end of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth. Over the next several decades, Jacobs designed a vast majority of downtown Morgantown's architecturally significant structures. The architect worked in a variety of revival styles including Romanesque, Gothic, and Queen Anne. Jacobs died on October 9, 1945 in Morgantown.Jacobs designed the Donley Building using the Richardson Romanesque Revival style. The style is a conglomeration of Roman and Gothic architectural elements such as sturdy stone or brick construction, deep-set portals, and rounded arches. All these features can be seen in the Donley Building. The primary construction materials are rich red bricks. Bays of arched windows are recessed into the building’s faces, providing texture and relief. The entrance of the building was once an arched doorway, set back from the street and topped with a stained-glass transom. The flat roof is hidden by a slightly projecting cornice decorated with square brick patterning. The façade of the building conveys an impression of symmetry and stability.In addition to Jacobs' office, the Donley Building was initially built to house Morgantown’s post office. The post office did not remain in the Donley Building for long, and a revolving door of businesses cycled in and out of the space in the first half of the twentieth century. Some examples of businesses include a theater, bank, and restaurant. In 1950, the building acquired its moniker after being purchased by Edward G. Donley and John L. Hatfield. It is not surprising that the Donley name stuck to the building, as Donley was a prominent Morgantown resident. Donley attended West Virginia University, where he played football for the Mountaineers, before becoming an attorney and businessman. The former football player also served as Morgantown mayor three times. Arts Monongahela, a nonprofit arts organization, currently resides in the Donley Building.

The Donley Building was built in 1895 in the Richardson Romanesque Revival style. It was initially intended as a building for the post office but has hosted a variety of establishments such as a theater, bank, restaurant, and Elmer F. Jacobs’ office. The structure acquired its name when purchased by Edward G. Donley and John L. Hatfield in 1950. Currently, the nonprofit Arts Monongahela is housed in the Donley Building.

Donley Building

The Judge Frank Cox House was constructed in 1898 according to plans by Elmer F. Jacobs. The home is built in a Queen Anne Revival style in which Jacobs often worked. The two and a half story building features brick construction with a stone foundation. The defining element of the Judge Frank Cox House is a three-story tower that faces the street. Built at the intersection of Pleasant and Spruce Streets, the front of the structure is the Spruce Street entrance. This entrance is framed by a large wooden porch. The roof of the building was originally slate, though it has been replaced with asphalt shingles. An impressive five chimneys pierce the top of the Judge Frank Cox House. The interior of the home features ornate wooden doors, trims, and mantels. The oak staircase is lit by stained glass windows, which are original to the building. The Judge Frank Cox House largely retains its original architectural character.Judge Frank Cox was born in Monongalia County in 1862. He attended local schools before matriculating at West Virginia University. After being admitted to the bar in 1883, Cox practiced law alone for several years before forming a law partnership with George C. Baker. The two lawyers specialized in oil, corporation, and chancery law. In 1888, Cox was elected as the prosecuting attorney for Monongalia County. Cox selected Baker as his deputy assistant. In 1894, the roles were reversed, and Cox served as deputy assistant to Baker. The partners continued their law business in the 1890s and briefly rented the historic Stone House before constructing their own dedicated offices at 162 Chancery Row. Cox expanded his political and personal influence in the early twentieth century. In 1904, he was elected to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and became president of the court by 1907. However, Cox resigned from the court the same year and returned to Morgantown, where he reestablished a law practice with Baker. Cox purchased large amounts of real estate in the Morgantown area and served as vice president of the Board of Trade of Morgantown. Cox was also active in community organizations such as the Methodist Episcopal Church, Masons, Odd Fellows, and Modern Woodmen of America. Cox died in Morgantown in 1940. Following Cox’s death in 1940, ownership of the Judge Frank Cox House passed equally to his children, Stanley R. Cox and Margaret Cox Cowell. A series of untimely deaths, civil suits, and business transactions caused ownership of the home to shuffle throughout various Cox family heirs for many years. During this tumultuous period of possession, the Judge Frank Cox House was rarely used as a residence and was instead rented to local businesses. The building briefly served as the West Virginia University faculty club in the 1940s. From 1954 to 1955, Velma Gene Dalton ran the Morgantown Beauty School from the house. For a period of time in the 1960s, the home hosted the Mancinelli Funeral parlor. The Judge Frank Cox House was also the site of Dr. Margaret Stemple Zeck’s offices. In the early 1980s, ownership of the building finally passed out of Cox family hands, when John P. Ball and Robert Dinsmore purchased the house. The two men were instrumental in restoring the home to its original state. They used the Judge Frank Cox House as offices for their law firm for many years. More recently, the building has hosted a bakery, gallery, and consulting offices.

Local architect Elmer F. Jacobs designed the Judge Frank Cox House, which was built in 1898. The Queen Anne Revival style home was built for Judge Frank Cox, a Morgantown lawyer. Cox was appointed prosecuting attorney in Monongalia County before serving on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. His home remained in the Cox family for much of the nineteenth century, though it was rented to businesses rather than used as a residence after Cox’s death in 1940. In the early 1980s, the home was acquired by John P. Ball and Robert Dinsmore. The two men reversed many later additions and alterations to the building, largely restoring the historic character. The Judge Frank Cox House continues to serve as a rented space for businesses today.

Judge Frank Cox House

The Colonial Revival style Shisler House was designed by Elmer F. Jacobs and built in 1902. The two-story Shisler House was originally a rectangular brick structure with a roof adding additional height. The front of the house is dominated by a large wooden porch supported by plain white columns. A double wooden door flanked by sidelights and a transom reinforce classical associations. On the second floor, unornamented windows with rusticated lintels are set on each side of a central palladian window. A dentiled cornice supports a shingled roof with three dormers heavily stylized to resemble the face of a classical temple. Two additions were added to the house, likely in the 1920s. A single-story banquet hall was added to the east, and a two-story brick addition was appended to the rear.E. Shisler, a wealthy local woman, commissioned the Shisler House as an architectural contrast to the W. E. Price House beside it. The Shisler House was one of the last homes to be built in downtown Morgantown. Shisler occupied her home for a relatively short period of time, as Morgantown’s Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks organization purchased the building in the early 1920s. A rumor persists that under Elks ownership, the Shisler House was used as a speakeasy during prohibition. In the latter half of the twentieth century, the home was purchased by Homer and Velmagene Martin. The Martins owned Morgantown Beauty College and used the Shisler House as a location for the school. In 2018, the house was being remodeled when historic wallpaper was discovered. Morgantown Beauty College owner Michael Sodomick contacted Dr. Jonathan Katz, an art historian and visual culture expert, who confirmed that the wallpaper was created in England during the eighteenth-century Aesthetic Movement. The wallpaper was preserved and Morgantown Beauty College continues to occupy the Shisler House.

The Shisler House was built in 1902 for E. Shisler, a wealthy Morgantown resident. Elmer F. Jacobs designed the home, which is an example of Colonial Revival architecture. Two additions to the home were made, likely in the 1920s. Following E. Shisler’s residence, her home has hosted Morgantown’s Elks Lodge, and the Morgantown Beauty College. 

Shisler House

The Appalachian Gallery was founded in 1987 by Laurie Nugent and Penelyn Van Orange, who pulled together their experiences in professional framing and art. Their gallery includes two floors of arts and crafts created by West Virginia artists. The breadth of work featured in the gallery includes paintings, drawings, glass, pottery, woodwork, metalwork, jewelry, textiles, and toys. A number of these works feature West Virginia scenes or symbols. Other items like books and puzzles are also for sale. The gallery offers custom framing for pictures, paintings, diplomas, and other heirlooms.The art in the Appalachian Gallery is not all that visitors will see. The gallery is located in the historic Price House, built circa 1902 by Morgantown furniture store owner W.E. Price. It is the prototype or "sister" of the Garlow House on Spruce Street, today the home of the Aull Center for Local History and Genealogy Research. Both the Price House and Garlow House were designed by local architect Elmer Forrest Jacobs. A graduate of West Virginia University and the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University), Jacobs designed a variety of structures in northern West Virginia and Pennsylvania ranging from factories to government buildings to schools. In Morgantown, he is best known for adding the side wings on Woodburn Hall, part of the Seneca Glass Factory, and the Beaumont Glass Factory (now demolished).The Price House was designed in the popular Queen Anne style of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The house's recognizable stone tower was added after Price saw the tower Jacobs incorporated in the Garlow House. The tower is often why the house is referred to as the "Sandcastle house." The building originally featured custom-made Tiffany windows, one of which is still extant and depicts a woman playing a harp. The Price House later served as the Sigma Nu fraternity and as a branch of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles. The Appalachian Gallery moved into the house in 2011.

The Appalachian Gallery is an art gallery, gift shop, and framing studio that promotes the work of West Virginia artists. Opened in 1987, the Appalachian Gallery features a variety of arts, crafts, and gift items. The gallery is located in the historic W.E. Price house, designed by famed Morgantown architect Elmer Jacobs. 

Appalachian Gallery

The Aull Center for Local History and Genealogy Research is located in the Garlow House, a Queen Anne Revival originally owned by Aaron J. Garlow, president of the Second National Bank and business investor in Morgantown. As a banker, Garlow was able to afford this upper-class house design and hire one of Morgantown's most renowned architects, Elmer Forrest Jacobs, to design it. The Queen Anne architectural style was popular at the turn of the twentieth century. The Garlow House boasts one of the Queen Anne's most identifiable features, a tall, rounded tower. It also has textured exterior walls, irregular roof shapes, varied window designs, and a rich appearance. The house's completion date, 1907, is still visible in the arc window. The Garlow family remained in the house until Aaron and Rebecca's granddaughter, Elizabeth Lewin, passed in 2000.The Morgantown Public Library acquired funds from the William and Josephine Aull trust to purchase the house in 2000. The Aull Center opened in 2004 and holds the Library's non-circulating local history and genealogical collections on the first floor. Researchers enjoy a beautiful historic setting as they work. 99% of the house's woodwork is original and a painted glass window displays a classic Appalachian mountain scene in one room. The Aull Center also hosts forums, such as the Morgantown Area History Roundtable, and occasionally offers tours of the house.The second floor of the building is home to two unique collections, the J. D. Rechter Holocaust Memorial Library and the Appalachian Prison Book Project. The Holocaust Memorial Library was established by Edith Levy, a Holocaust survivor from Vienna, Austria, who immigrated to the United States and settled in Morgantown. Levy had help from book dealer Ken Schoen, who also had family members in the Holocaust. The Library bears the name of Levy's father, who perished at Auschwitz. With more than 1,000 books on the Holocaust, the J. D. Rechter Holocaust Memorial Library is the largest collection of its kind in West Virginia. Also at the Aull Center is much of the Appalachian Prison Book Project (APBP) collection. Created by WVU English professor Katy Ryan in 2004, APBP is a nonprofit organization that has sent over 20,000 free books to incarcerated individuals in Appalachia.At the Aull Center, history is not just part of a mission statement, but brought to life every day through research, education, and preservation.

A branch of the Morgantown Public Library established in 2004 and dedicated to local history and genealogy, the Aull Center is located in the historic Garlow House. The house was built in 1907 and was home to the family of Aaron J. Garlow, president of the Second National Bank. Researchers at the Aull Center are welcome to explore collections of books, photo albums, yearbooks, and a plethora of family histories. The Aull Center is also home to the J. D. Rechter Holocaust Memorial Library and a portion of the Appalachian Prison Book Project collection. The building serves the public as a research center and forum for discussing the past.

Aull Center for Local History and Genealogy Research

The 1908 Spruce Street United Methodist Church represents Elmer F. Jacobs’ foray into designing a religious building. Rather than using his signature Romanesque Revival style, Jacobs opted instead for a Gothic Revival design for the Spruce Street structure. Though the red brick and stone window lintels found throughout the building resemble Jacobs’ Romanesque Revival buildings, there are several important differences that ground the Spruce Street church in the Gothic tradition. One is the presence of pointed arches rather than rounded ones. The buttresses that line many exterior elements of the building are also Gothically inspired. In fact, they likely serve an ornamental rather than load-bearing function. Finally, the building has increased emphasis on verticality, as the contrast between the core structure and the towers suggests.The basement of the Spruce Street United Methodist Church rises slightly from the ground and is covered in rusticated masonry to distinguish from the main floors. Two crenellated towers at each end of the façade provide entrance to the building. The façade is uniquely lacking in a central portal, and instead possesses a large tripartite stained-glass window. The gabled roof is roughly pyramidal and meets at a central point above the nave. A two-story addition was appended to the rear of the church some time in the twentieth century, likely before 1950. However, the building exterior remains impressively faithful to Jacobs' original design. The church has been occupied by the Spruce Street United Methodist Church organization since its construction.

Built in 1908, the Spruce Street United Methodist Church is a striking religious example of Elmer F. Jacobs’ architectural style. 

Spruce Street United Methodist Church

Located just outside of the original Morgantown city limits, the building now known as the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center enjoys a number of connections to prominent figures and organizations from the history of West Virginia, West Virginia University, and the city of Morgantown. The land upon which it is built was originally under the ownership of William E. Glasscock, the Republican governor of West Virginia from 1909 to 1913. Glasscock and his wife, Mary, sold the land to Mary S. Walters in 1899, who ordered the construction of a new home on the site from 1900 to 1901. Elmer F. Jacobs designed the Queen Anne Revival style home. After Walters' death in 1913, the house became the property of one of her heirs, Ona Fling, who rented rooms out later in her life. It is during this time period that the house became the headquarters of a succession of West Virginia University fraternities. The university chapters of Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and Tau Kappa Epsilon utilized the space at various times between the 1920s and 1940s, as did a number of other boards (among them Reverend William H. Berry, rector of St. Paul's Lutheran Church at the time). After Fling's death in 1931, the house transferred to her heir Elsie Fling Price, who continued to rent rooms in the house to boarders during her time as owner. In 1951, however, she sold the building to Ivan M. and Ades Shahan Bowers, who in turn sold the property to the nearby Trinity Episcopal Church. Starting in 1971, the church leased the house to the University Christian Council and Women's Information Center, but rescinded the lease eight years later in protest of the center's activities. In 1981 the law firm of Stone, Gallagher, and Byrne (SGB, Inc.) purchased the building, but continued to rent rooms in the basement and upper stories. In 2004, they sold the building to Benton Financiers, Inc., which in turn sold the structure to the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center three years later.The owners of the land on which the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center now stands prior to the building's construction between 1900 and 1901, William E. and Mary Glasscock, are particularly prominent figures in the twentieth-century history of West Virginia. During his time as governor of the state between 1909 and 1913 Glasscock weathered a number of political controversies, most notably the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek coal miners' strike of 1912. Born on a farm near Arnettsville in 1862, Glasscock attended West Virginia University before going on to work as a teacher and attorney in Morgantown. Prior to his election as governor, he served as superintendent of Morgantown schools, clerk of the county circuit court, and internal revenue collector for the state of West Virginia. Upon his victory over Democratic candidate Louis Bennett Glasscock worked to institute a number of Progressive reforms in the state, including the establishment of an agency for road construction and passage of a worker's compensation law. His successes were largely overshadowed by the his response to the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek coal miner's strike in 1912, however, during which he ordered state militia troops to aid mine owners in quelling the strike by force. His decision set in motion the Mine Wars of the twentieth century, an armed conflict that left an untold number of West Virginia's miners dead at the hands of state militia and private police forces hired by mining executives. Glasscock never recovered from the stress of his experiences as head of state, and returned to Morgantown after one term to resume his law practice. By the time he did so, the building that now houses the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center had stood on the site of his former land for over a decade. Standing at the northernmost boundary of the town's former limits, the structure constructed at the behest of Mary S. Walters between 1900 and 1901 is one of a number of elaborate homes built in downtown Morgantown at the turn of the twentieth century for upperclass residents with connections to the adjacent business district. Like many of its compatriots the building includes a number of features typical of the Queen Anne Revival architectural style popular at the time, most notably the tower on the southeast corner, wraparound porch, and interior stained glass windows.Also like many of its compatriots, the building went on to serve a variety of purposes after its original owner's death from boardinghouse to business center. By far its most notable use prior to becoming the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center, however, was as the headquarters of the University Christian Council (UCC). The UCC was a relatively new ecumenical campus ministry at the time, and during its period of occupation in the house occupied the first floor while students continued to live in the upper stories. The Council emerged from the ecumenical movement within the field of campus ministry, which was active at West Virginia University in the late 1960s. In 1969, the ecumenical campus ministry center was named the Bennett House in honor of Thomas Bennett. Thomas Bennett was a conscientious objector who was killed in Vietnam while serving in the Army Medical Corps. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. When he was a student at West Virginia University, Thomas Bennett served as the president of the Campus Ecumenical Council and was very involved in the campus ecumenical movement and social causes. At the peak of the campus ecumenical movement, West Virginia University’s campus ministry center included United Methodists, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Disciples of Christ ministers. In late twentieth-century Morgantown, many campus ministers, particularly those of liberal Protestant denominations, worked closely with student activists and were involved in social activism. In the 1970s, campus ministers in the Bennett House were involved in a number of student and community projects, including draft, drug, and abortion counseling.The Women’s Information Center, which was founded in 1971, operated within the campus ministry until the early 1990s under the direction of Reba Thurmond, United Methodist campus minister. The Center offered anonymous pregnancy testing and pro-choice counseling as well as programs on women’s issues. The organization’s philosophy was to empower women with information to make their own decisions regarding their sexuality and reproductive lives. In 1973, the Rape Information Service, which became the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, opened in the Bennett House. It was a collaborative project of the Women’s Information Center, the local National Organization for Women chapter, and the Women’s Affairs Committee of WVU. The organization provided services to victims of sexual assault, hosted public programming on sexual assault, and lobbied for legislative changes. Eventually, it outgrew the Bennett House and moved into its own building. Grassroots feminist organizations like the Women’s Information Center and Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center were established all over the country during the late-twentieth century revival of the women’s movement. The Trinity Episcopal Church disagreed with some of the activities of the Center, however, and eventually caused the UCC to move out of the Walters residence in 1979. The UCC moved to a building that was once part of the old downtown hospital that no longer exists and then to the Rogers House, where it has been located since 1984.After the UCC left the former Walters residence in 1979 the building found a new life as the law offices of Stone, Gallagher, and Byrne (SGB, Inc.), which remained at the location until 2004. In 2007 it became West Virginia University's Rohr Chabad Jewish Center, promoting Jewish culture and community at the university and in the Mountain State. Chabad, an Orthodox form of Judaism, is one of the largest Jewish organizations in the world, and the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center is one of over a hundred such university organizations across the country. The Center currently holds Shabbat dinners every Friday at 7:15 PM and rabbi open office hours on Wednesdays from 1 to 3 PM. Such activities make the building central to the Jewish community both in and outside the university. The site's many connections to individuals and organizations from local, state, and university history, however, also make it a unique stop for the historically inclined visiting WVU or downtown Morgantown.

Originally built between 1900 and 1901 for local Morgantown resident Mary S. Walters, the building and land that has housed West Virginia University's Rohr Chabad Jewish Center since 2007 earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The brick late-Queen Anne Revival structure is one of the last remaining residences from this time period in downtown Morgantown, during which many local elites built elaborate homes around the core of what was then the area's business district. The house served as a private residence, boarding house, fraternity house, campus ministry building, and business office, before its purchase for the use of the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center in 2007. 

Rohr Chabad Jewish Center

The Second National Bank (SNB) Building was built in 1894. Elmer F. Jacobs designed the structure using his signature version of Romanesque Revival. The façade is a three-story elevation constructed of neutral stone masonry. The first-floor features two similar arched tympana. However, in a departure from Jacobs’ typical vertical symmetry, the left tympanum rests over a window, while the right tympanum caps the entrance. A medallion displaying the date of the building’s construction nestles in the space where the tyampna meet. A small belt courser projects slightly from the façade and separates the first and second floor. Just above this courser the words “Farmers and Merchants Bank” are chiseled into the stone. The second-floor features four windows, each spanned by a separate lintel. On the third floor, a unit of six arched window bays are separated by simple colonettes. The SNB Building is capped by a dentiled cornice. The exterior of the building has experienced some degradation over time, though the historic character remains almost wholly intact.Morgantown’s SNB began operating out of its namesake building soon after construction finished. As a national bank, the organization was authorized to print money. This printing likely occurred in the SNB Building, though the bank stopped printing money in 1931 – possibly due to the Great Depression. Shortly after printing stopped, the SNB sold their building to the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Reedsville, WV in 1937. The Farmers and Merchants Bank operated out of the SNB building for almost two decades and added the lettering between the first and second floors. In the early 1950s, local radio station WCLG purchased the SNB building. WCLG has occupied the upper floors of the building since then, though the retail space on the first floor is currently rented by Universitees.

Elmer F. Jacobs designed the Second National Bank Building in a Romanesque Revival style. The structure was completed in 1894. The building takes its name from its commissioner and first occupants, Morgantown’s Second National Bank. The building hosted the Farmers and Merchants Bank in the mid-twentieth century and has been owned and utilized by the WCLG radio station for close to the past seventy years. 

Second National Bank Building

The Dering Building was constructed in 1896 to house Fred Dering’s harness and tool business. Dering had inherited the business from his father, Edward Dering. Edward Dering also ran a saddler shop on the property, though from a much simpler structure. Fred Dering wanted to convey a stronger sense of industry and importance with his storefront, so he commissioned Elmer F. Jacobs to design the building. Jacobs attempted to deliver on an imposing edifice by planning a three-story Romanesque Revival masonry façade. The first floor of the building features two nearly identical storefronts with recessed porticos. The second story has five regularly spaced rectangular windows which are separated from both the first and third stories by belt coursers. The third and highest story also has five regularly spaced windows, though they display arched hoods that are emblematic of Romanesque Revival. A triangular pediment – emblazoned with the date of construction and name Dering – caps the building.In contrast to the attention given to the façade, the rest of the Dering Building is relatively unassuming. In part due to the structure’s location in downtown Morgantown, the sides and rear of the building are unornamented brick, as they would rarely be seen. There are some small windows on the sides of the building, and the rear features two rows of five windows each, similar to the façade. The interior has been renovated since the building’s construction. The first floor originally had a pressed tin roof, while the second and third floors had simple plaster moldings, walls, and floors. The roof of the building is flat and composed of asphalt.Fred Dering had the acumen to understand that Morgantown’s burgeoning population at the end of the nineteenth century would need transportation supplies. For this reason, the businessman’s harness and tool business was extremely successful. When the automobile started becoming popular, Dering saw the writing on the wall for equine transportation and changed business strategies. In 1910, Dering shifted from providing equipment to providing a service by establishing a funeral home in his namesake building. This enterprise was just as successful as the harness and tool business was. Dering married Hettie Wade, daughter of famous local educator Alexander Wade, and had a son, Edward Wade. Edward Wade joined his father at the Dering Funeral Parlor and inherited the business in 1937. Edward Wade continued to operate the funeral home until 1985, though the location was moved from the Dering Building in 1965.The Dering Building is significant in a variety of ways. It hosted successful Morgantown businesses both before the population boom at the end of the nineteenth century, and afterwards. In this way it represents Morgantown’s transition from a primarily agrarian town to an industrial and commercial location. Furthermore, the Dering Building is architecturally unique. Elmer F. Jacobs is known primarily for his private residences and a handful of civic designs. As the Dering Building was designed as a commercial structure, it is an outlier in Jacobs’ oeuvre. In fact, the only other building in Morgantown that closely resembles the Dering Building is the Morris Building on High Street, Jacobs’ other foray into commercial design. The Dering Building remains in use today as the home of Wild Zero Studios tattoo parlor.

Constructed in 1896, the Dering Building is a unique architectural work in downtown Morgantown. The façade of the building belongs stylistically to the Romanesque Revival tradition. Other than the front face of the Dering Building, the design and ornamentation is simple and utilitarian. The structure was designed by famous Morgantown architect, Elmer F. Jacobs to house Edward Dering’s harness and tool business. When the automobile began gaining popularity over horses, Dering shifted business strategies and replaced his supply store with a funeral home. The Dering Funeral Parlor continued operation in the Dering Building until 1965, and remained in the Dering family until 1985. These days, the Dering Building hosts the Wild Zero Studios tattoo parlor.

Dering Building

The Brown Building was constructed in 1898 and was the first four-story building in Monongalia County. The structure is primarily red brick, with decorative diamond patterns of yellow brick providing contrast near the top of the building. In addition to color contrast, the face of the building towards Walnut street features three distinct units with the center unit slightly recessed to provide textural variety. Relatively tight bays of windows provide ample natural light to all four floors of the Brown Building. Two courses separate the first and second floors, and the third and fourth floors. The flat roof is hidden by a projected cornice decorated with brackets and dentils. Though a parapet with the word “Brown” on it initially graced the High Street façade of the building, it was removed in 1907. Curiously, the south face of the building (the face opposite Walnut) has little ornamentation. It appears this was a prescient choice, as when it was completed, the adjacent Bank of Morgantown building obscured the south face of the Brown Building.The Brown Building was built according to plans by Elmer F. Jacobs. Jacobs was a celebrated Morgantown architect responsible for many of the commercial, residential, and civic buildings in the immediate area. Jacobs drew from many architectural styles and periods, something evident from the eclectic elements that grace the Brown Building. S. A. Posten, a real estate developer and mayor of Morgantown, was familiar with Jacobs’ work and hired the architect to design the Brown Building. Upon completion of the structure, Posten immediately sold it to William Whittington. Whittington maintained possession of the building until 1900, when he went bankrupt. Following Whittington’s bankruptcy, John J. Brown bought Whittington’s property as a gift to his sons, Zalman and Guy. The Brown family was one of the most successful and respected families in northern West Virginia. John J. Brown was born in Kingwood, Preston County and was admitted to the bar in 1848. He was loyal to the Union during the Civil War and was a signer to the West Virginia State Constitution. John J. Brown also served as the first state senator for Preston, Monongalia, and Taylor counties. Brown’s second wife was the primary developer of the South Park neighborhood in Morgantown. Guy Brown was the first Morgantown resident to own an automobile and played a key role in organizing Morgantown’s Chamber of Commerce. Though only owned by the Brown family for seven years, the Brown name became permanently associated with the building.The Brown Building initially hosted the Kellar and Company Dry Goods Store on the ground floor. The upper stories were used for offices and apartments. In 1907, ownership of the Brown Building was transferred to the Farmers and Merchants Bank. The bank used the first floor as a lobby until the early 1920s. A variety of clothiers then rented the first-floor space from the 1920s until the 1960s. A physician and a dentist were longtime occupiers of upper floors. In the early 1960s, Eleanor Reams’ Ream Pharmacy moved into the Brown Building. Many Morgantown residents refer to the Brown Building as the Ream Building thanks to Reams’ previous presence. In the latter half of the 1980s, Citizens Bank of Morgantown took up residence in the Brown Building and remains there to this day.The Brown Building is significant for its position on the forefront of Morgantown’s rapid growth at the turn of the nineteenth century. With the completion of rail lines and a dam, access to Morgantown significantly expanded. This access encouraged a shift from an agrarian culture to one more commercially focused. The Brown building is connected to important Morgantown residents and businesses. “By its location on High Street and on the ‘Public Square’ just thirty feet northeast of the Monongalia County Courthouse, [the Brown Building] also geographically symbolizes the close alliance between commerce, banking, and government during [Morgantown’s] boom period.”1

Built in 1898, the Brown Building was the first four-story building in Monongalia County. It was designed by Elmer F. Jacobs, the most prolific local architect. The building acquired its name from the Brown family, who owned the structure from 1900 until 1907. The building has been home to a variety of businesses including Kellar and Company Dry Goods Store, Morgantown’s Farmers and Merchants Bank, Reams Pharmacy, and several clothiers. The exterior has experienced a few modifications but largely retains its original historic character. At the turn of the nineteenth century, the Brown Building stood at the forefront of Morgantown’s population expansion, and cultural and economic evolution.

Downtown Morgantown Elmer F. Jacobs Architectural Tour

Morris Building

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources