The historic New River Company Store at Scarbro, WV

New River Company Store Building near US-19
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.