Draft:West Virginia Building

The West Virginia Building is the tallest in Huntington, West Virginia.

History
In 1924, the Union Bank and Trust Company commissioned the architectural firm Meaner and Handloser to design a Renaissance Revival-style office building at the corner of 9th Street and 4th Avenue. The fifteen-story structure featured an ashlar stone façade on the bottom and top floors, with brick in between. Initially, this building served as the new home for the Union Bank and Trust Company, replacing their previous frame structure on the same corner.

Despite extensive promotion during its construction, the Union Bank and Trust Company closed following the 1929 stock market crash. In 1943, a local businessman purchased the building and renamed it the West Virginia Building, the state's tallest commercial building.

Walgreens Era
In 1937, the building's first floor was remodeled to house a Walgreens Drug Store. One of its employees, Virginia Ruth Egnor, later became the 1950s television star Dagmar. The Walgreens store closed in 1961 when the company declined to renew its lease. Thrift Drug Company briefly occupied the space afterward.

WSAZ and Broadcasting
In 1949, when news station WSAZ transitioned from radio to television, their offices were temporarily located in the West Virginia Building to utilize its height for broadcasting. Notably, in 1950, the station crew broadcasted a live fire from a building window at The Tipon Theater.

Later Use and Renovations
In 2007, the building was acquired by Well Street Properties, LLC, a New York-based company. Alex Vence purchased it in 2013 and continued renovations to create upscale luxury apartments. Notable improvements included cosmetic upgrades to the exterior and the installation of a multi-colored LED lighting system on the top two floors, modeled after the Empire State Building's lighting system, which changes colors to commemorate various events and holidays.