CVB Downtown Historic Buildings Walking Tour

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The Merchants and Mechanics Bank was established as a branch of a bank in Wheeling in 1860, and was originally housed in a storefront of the Despard Block. In 1894, the Merchants Bank building was constructed and included three storerooms, all of which are still in their original state today. The Merchants Bank building is a striking New-Romanesque Revival structure, significant for its architectural integrity. In 1961, Merchant Bank’s assets were purchased by Union Bank, and the building was then purchased by its present namesake, Community Savings and Loans.

2. Harrison County Courthouse

The history of the Harrison County Courthouse stretches back to 1784, when a one-room building was erected for five hundred fifty dollars. Since then, the building has been replaced four times, culminating in the fifth courthouse that is visible today. The current Art Moderne building was constructed between 1931 and 1932 and is architecturally significant. It is also Harrison County’s longest serving courthouse building. A variety of historical plaques, monuments, and memorials are contained in the building’s courtyard. They commemorate the people and events that have shaped Harrison County.

3. Despard Building

The Despard Building was constructed in 1877 and originally hosted the Wells & Haymaker Drug Store. Funding for the building came from the Despard family in Clarksburg. Colonel Burton Despard was instrumental in Clarksburg’s economic development in the mid to late nineteenth century. Colonel Despard maintained a law practice with Edwin Maxwell, and also owned a number of early coal mines in the area. The Despard family continued to develop land and businesses after the colonel’s death in 1874. In contrast to some other Italianate buildings in the district, the Despard Building focuses on horizontality rather than verticality. Six bays of windows grace the façade of the structure, though these days the building has been separated into a two-bay and a four-bay storefront. Both sections of windows have the same elongated form and Victorian decorative molding. The left storefront features a dentilled cornice, while the right storefront has an unornamented cornice. The first-floors of the building have been completely reimagined and the second floor has been repainted, each storefront with a different color. Though the building has been somewhat fractured due to the disparate sections, the basic form remains intact.

4. A.C. Smith Building

The A.C. Smith Building was built in 1894 and named after its patron, A.C. Smith. Smith was a local merchant who was well-established in the broader Clarksburg community. From 1895 until the 1930s, the building housed the Smith, Brown, & Company Dry Goods Store. Since then the structure has been rented to a number of local businesses. Architecturally, the A.C. Smith Building is remarkably ornate. Though the palette is confined to a deep muted blue, almost every free inch of the façade is covered in Italianate leaf moldings. Bounded in the top cornice are letters spelling “A.C Smith.” The first-floor storefront has been slightly altered over the years, though the upper floors appear the same as they did in the early twentieth century.

5. Empire National Bank Building

The Empire National Bank was established by Virgil Highland in 1903. It was originally located in the Oak Hall Building directly across Main Street from the structure on the northwest corner of Main and Fourth Streets. In 1907, the Empire National Bank moved to the Empire Building. The Clarksburg Publishing Company used to print copies of the town’s newspaper in the basement of the Empire National Bank Building. Today, the bank portion of the structure is occupied by MVB Bank, and remains a historic structure of Downtown Clarksburg.

6. Robinson Grand Theater

The Robinson Grand Theater opened its doors in 1913 with the help of its founders William Lafferty, Charles Alexander and Reuben Robinson of the Clarksburg Amusement Company. It was later renovated and enlarged in 1927 to appeal to contemporary designs and society of its time. Unfortunately, tragedy struck in May of 1939 when an air conditioner caught on fire destroying most of the stage and theater house. Luckily, it was able to be rebuilt by December of the same year. This was the place where many locals first saw classics like Jaws, Star Wars and the Sound of Music. The theater continued to show movies and host local events through the 1980s but later shut down due to other popular suburban multiplexes within the area. Thanks to the hardworking people of Clarksburg, the Robinson Grand Theater was completely remodeled.

7. Masonic Temple

The Masonic Temple was built between 1911 and 1914. Masonic presence in the Clarksburg area dates back to 1814, when the original Virginia charter was granted. As Clarksburg became one of the most important and populous cities in western Virginia and later West Virginia, the need for a dedicated Masonic building was apparent. This seven-story Neo-Classical Revival building was designed by E.E. Pruitt of Columbus Ohio. The building was constructed by the Clarksburg Masonic Building Company, a corporation formed of organization members for the sole purpose of funding the structure. The completed building lives up to its temple title. The bottom two stories serve as a colossal base for four attached Doric columns, which stretch another three floors. The columns support a classical pediment which spans the building’s facade. The already unorthodox configuration is further exacerbated by two stories rising above the pediment — they were added in 1928. Though the building continues to serve as the location of Clarksburg’s Masonic Lodge, it also contains space for commercial offices.

8. Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library

The Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library was established in 1907 with just a few hundred books. When Mae Goff Lowndes bequeathed Waldomore to the city of Clarksburg, the home became the new library space. The library continued to expand over the next several decades and by the 1970s, the library had outgrown the house. A new structure was commissioned on an adjacent piece of land and finished in 1975. The structure is one of the most architecturally unique works in Clarksburg. It was designed by Hamilton Smith and famous Bauhaus artist Marcel Breuer. Smith and Breuer took cues from other buildings in town and used brick as the primary building material. Enormous window walls invite viewers into the space while ample light floods through courtyards. These lighter touches are offset by the heavy masses of brick, which were common features of Breuer’s often Brutalist designs. Breuer was also famous for his furniture designs, many of which are still present in the library. The two-story Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library building provides a welcome modern contrast to the concentration of early twentieth century buildings commonly found throughout town.

9. Waldomore

Waldomore began as a family home for Clarksburg resident Waldo P. Goff, but later evolved into a well-known local landmark. The two-story Neo-Classical Revival brick house was constructed in 1839 and expanded ca. 1900. It is an emblematic representative of the Neo-Classical Revival style. The name Waldomore was derived by combining the names of the original owners, Waldo P. Goff, and his wife Harriet Moore. May Goff Lowndes, daughter of Goff and Moore, donated Waldomore to the city of Clarksburg in 1931, on the condition that it be used as a library or museum. The city accepted and Waldomore remains a part of the Clarksburg Public Library today. It primarily holds special collections, such as the Local History & Genealogy Collection, the West Virginia Collection, and the Grey Barker UFO Collection.

10. Waldo Hotel

Nathan Goff Jr. hired architect Harrison Albright to design the Waldo Hotel in 1901, and when the Waldo opened in 1904 it was one of the most luxurious hotels in West Virginia. The Waldo Hotel was named after Nathan Goff Jr.’s father, whose home sits beside the hotel. The Waldo was built with the intent to entertain prominent guests in Clarksburg, and became the hub of social and political life. After serving as a hotel for many decades, the Waldo was converted into dormitories for Salem College and later, apartments. The building currently sits vacant and is uninhabitable. Debate over whether the hotel should be restored or demolished is a common topic in Clarksburg, and the building’s future is uncertain.

11. Clarksburg Publishing Company

The Clarksburg Publishing Company was formed in 1927 from the merging of two newspapers: The Telegram and The Exponent. The former paper was a Unionist Republican weekly started in 1861, while the latter was more focused on non-partisan breaking news and began in 1910. Following the merger, the Clarksburg Publishing Company began creating three publications. In the morning, the Democratic Clarksburg Exponent included local news and opinions; in the evening, the Clarksburg Telegram included news stories from a broader scale; and on Sundays, the Exponent Telegram included in-depth stories from around the world. The Clarksburg Publishing Company has ties to several famous Clarksburg citizens — Virgil Highland was instrumental in the creation of the company and Nathan Goff served as an editor for the publications. The Clarksburg Publishing Company building predates the company itself by three years, having been completed in 1924. The two-story Classical Revival structure features large fitted stone blocks. Six bays of windows meet at a recessed porch on the first level, which is supported by two Ionic columns. Some stone fleur-de-lis ornamentation is present below a dentilled cornice. The exterior of the building has been altered extremely little in the past century.

12. Towers School

The Towers School site has been home to several educational institutions. The first school to occupy the site was the Randolph Academy, the first academy west of the Allegheny Mountains. After serving Clarksburg from 1795 until 1843, it was replaced by the Northwestern Virginia Academy. During the Civil War, the academy’s building was utilized as a barracks, military prison, and a hospital because Clarksburg was home to hundreds of troops from 1861 through 1865. The Northwestern Virginia Academy did not reopen after the war and its building was re-adapted for public school use. A new building, the Towers School, was established in 1895 and served the Clarksburg community for nearly 100 years. A historical plaque commemorates the site’s contributions to education in Clarksburg. Towers School was demolished in the mid-1990s.

13. Union National Bank

Before the Union National Bank occupied this site, it was occupied by the Traders Building. This building housed a number of facilities including the Trader Hotel, an opera house, and a number of stores. It was the largest building ever built in the Clarksburg Historic District and resembled a modern shopping centre. However, the Traders Building burnt to the ground in 1911. It was quickly replaced by the Union National Bank building, which still stands today. The ten-story structure was designed to resemble a Doric column. It has remained downtown Clarksburg’s tallest building since its completion in 1911 and has served banking institutions continuously. These days, the building also includes office space for local businesses and organizations.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

CVB Downtown Historic Buildings Walking Tour

Created by Iain MacKay on March 29th 2021, 7:13:50 pm.

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Description

This short walking tour takes visitors to downtown Clarksburg on a journey through the city’s past. From late nineteenth century banks, to the historic Waldomore house, to the more modern Marcel Breuer designed Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library, there's a little bit of everything to see! Learn more about the people and places that shaped Clarksburg in one of West Virginia’s most historic cities. Be sure to stop by the Clarksburg Visitors’ Bureau for more information or other resources.

Entries on This Tour

CVB Downtown Historic Buildings Walking Tour

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