Submitted photo Scott Hill Mansion has hosted some weddings and other events the past couple years. Owner Mike Elza has made upgrades for the home and is planning for more things in the future.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley
Mike Elza, owner of Scott Hill Mansion, stands on the porch of the 10-bedroom home which is located on Livingston Avenue. Elza plans on turning the house into Bed and Breakfast.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley
A brand new multi-purpose facility is being constructed on the Scott Hill Mansion property. The new structure will host events and will be complete with a bathhouse and kitchen.

ELKINS — After purchasing one of Elkins’ most historic sites two years ago, Mike Elza has already made several upgrades to the Scott Hill Mansion and has plans for much more.

One of the first things Elza did after purchasing the home, which is situated on nine acres on Livingston Avenue, was to restore four of the home’s 10 bedrooms, along with two of its four bathrooms.

“I plan on opening a bed and breakfast here in the home,” Elza told The Inter-Mountain this week. “I want people to enjoy this place like I am. The house is what it is and it’s a beautiful structure … I want to enjoy the home and I want other people to enjoy it as well. That’s why I want to have a bed and breakfast here.”

Another project Elza completed after acquiring the Mansion, which was built in 1892 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was to remove 86 trees from in front of the property. The tree removal provided a path as well as a roadway to the railroad tracks below the home. It also opened the hillside up for a great view of downtown Elkins.

“We didn’t have any views of the city, but now, since we cleared those trees out, we do,” Elza said. “The view is absolutely beautiful from the second and third floors of this home at night. You can stand up on the second floor and watch the coordination, watch the queen walk down the hill – just as plain as day.”

Elza said he has been talking with officials from the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad about several future possibilities.

“When I purchased this, I purchased the property all the way down to the railroad tracks,” Elza said. “They can bring the train right to the bottom of the property. We have been in negotiations with the train and they are excited about using the property as a stop.

“I put a road all the way down to the tracks and we are in talks about a lot of different things with that. Maybe even turning this place into the North Pole for the Christmas train.”

The facility has already hosted a handful of events, including several weddings and a pair of Halloween parties for children.

“We’ve had a couple weddings since I bought the place,” Elza said. “I have a big wedding coming up soon and it’s going to take place on the front porch with chairs in the front lawn.

“We also had a Halloween event the past two years. The first year we had a couple hundred people here for it, then last year we quit counting two hours into the event and we had 600 people here.”

Elza is currently building a multi-purpose facility on the property that will cater to events at the mansion.

“People would come here for a wedding and they would leave to go somewhere else for the reception,” he said. “They’d like to have it here, but they’re afraid to take a chance on a tent, because of the weather. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to build the multipurpose facility that I’m building.

“There’s also a need to have a structure here for us to have when we host events. We are going to put a big ballroom in it and it’s going to be 28 feet from the floor to the ceiling. It’s going to have a huge staircase from the second floor, so if a bride wanted to make an entrance into her reception that way, she could. It will also help when we are hosting events like the Halloween party and it rains.”

Elza said the multi-purpose facility will include a bathhouse in one corner of the structure, complete with showers. He also plans to put a kitchen in the facility so that caterers can come in and prepare food.

“The plan is to have a nice venue for weddings, birthday parties, reunions or whatever else someone may want to have,” Elza said. “I already had one of the banks in town contact me wondering if it would be ready soon because they want to have their Christmas party here.”

Elza said he also has an area on the grounds where he plans to construct an outdoor amphitheatre.

“There’s a place on the property where there’s kind of a natural amphitheater there,” he said. “There’s a big curve there and it’s a perfect place to put a little amphitheater, so that is something else I’m going to do.

“I have had four offers from the Wheeling Symphony to do a fundraiser for Mountain Hospice, but we have not been able to connect or make it happen. So I’m hoping that one of the first events we have at the amphitheater is the Wheeling Symphony. We will give people blankets and let them sit on the hillside and listen to the music under the stars.”

Elza, who is director of marketing and public education at Mountain Hospice, said the builders of the multi-purpose facility are close to finishing up what they have to do construction-wise. Elza said he and family members will finish up the work by putting in doors and windows and finishing other interior projects.