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‘Rebirth’ of Hotel

Ribbon cut for renovated Tygart

The Inter-Mountain photos by Edgar Kelley Cutting the ribbon on the newly renovated Tygart Hotel in Elkins Friday are, front row from left, Hoy Ferguston of Davis Trust Bank, Dave Clark and Karen Jacobson of Woodland Development Group, Michael Mills of the Mills Group, Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco and Michael Graney of the West Virginia Department of Economic Development.

ELKINS – After years of planning and effort, Woodlands Development Group hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the renovated Tygart Hotel on Davis Avenue Friday morning.

The street in front of the historic hotel was closed off for the event. Woodlands Executive Director Dave Clark welcomed a large turnout of guests and community members who gathered for a ceremony inside a heated tent.

“This really isn’t just about one building in downtown Elkins, it’s about a community that really decided to make an investment in itself,” Clark said. “As many of you remember, we got started on this in 2015 and Elkins looked very, very different. We had a lot of vacant storefronts and the Tygart Hotel was not in a good place.

“This project is about a community investing and we are looking at close to $60 million worth of investment coming to Elkins in the next few years.”

Many local leaders were on hand, including Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco, and representatives from the offices of Senators Shelly Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, and Gov. Jim Justice. Capito spent the night at the Tygart Hotel on Thursday, but had to leave early in the morning on Friday to get back to Washington, D.C. for a Senate vote.

Woodlands Development Group Executive Director Dave Clark speaks during a special ceremony inside a tent on Davis Avenue in Elkins Friday before the official ribbon cutting of the renovated Tygart Hotel took place.

“What a tremendous opportunity it is to welcome everyone to this ribbon cutting and the rebirth of the Tygart Hotel,” Marco said. “A lot of us remember this hotel from years ago and what it was, and then what it fell down to. It took a dream, and that dream became a reality, so Dave (Clark), thank you for your vision, your persistence, and your effort on this.

“Without our senators and our elected officials from throughout the state, this couldn’t have happened,” Marco noted. “This is truly a team effort and we had Sen. Capito here today and Sen. Manchin has a representative here as well. There is also someone here from Gov. Justice’s office and Congressman Mooney has a representative as well. And (Delegate) Ty Nestor is here and I want to thank him for his efforts on this project.

“This is a prime example of teamwork at its finest. Every good plan requires flexibility, and there were a few road bumps along the way. But we were able to be flexible, adjust and see it to its fruition… It took an entire community to come together and build this dream.”

Clark recognized the many individuals who played a key role in the project, including Michael Graney from the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, Kris Warner from the West Virginia Economic Development Authority, and Michael Mills from The Mills Group architecture firm, all of whom attended Friday’s ceremony.

“One of the things we really benefited from is that the state has put such a high emphasis on tourism development,” Clark said. “The biggest investor and lender that we had in this whole project was the West Virginia EDA. They played a key role and worked with us on some very complicated financing.”

Clark thanked Davis Trust Bank, Freedom Bank and the Pendleton County Community Bank for their committed financing to the project.

“We had like 17 or 18 different sources of funding and financing for this project to make it all work,” Clark said. “It takes both public and private funding to put a project like this together. And from the very beginning, both of our senators’ offices were extremely supportive in helping this all work.”

Before joining a host of leaders in the official ribbon cutting on the front steps of the hotel, Clark thanked new Tygart Hotel General Manager Shane Jones, his new employees at the hotel, and those who made the project happen.

“We committed to paying all employees a living wage,” Clark said. “We were overwhelmed with over 625 applications, almost all from area residents. And the hotel will ultimately employ 57 people at the start… We are grateful to the many, many people and organizations who have helped make this happen, and thankful to live in a community that makes a project like this possible. We hope that you come visit the Tygart Hotel, and I look forward to the journey ahead.”

The Tygart Hotel was originally built in 1906 and is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Elkins’ downtown historic district. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Originally known as the Hotel Gassaway, it was renamed the Tygart in 1923.

Woodlands Development Group purchased the Tygart Hotel for $700,000 in 2017. Woodlands hired The Mills Group, which is the renovation project’s architect.

The 56-room boutique hotel features a full bar and restaurant, the Oxley House, and a banquet room. 

Taylor Hospitality, a premier hospitality management and consulting company, will oversee the day-to-day operations of the hotel and restaurant.

For more information call 304-924-4279 or visit tygarthotel.com.

Starting at $3.92/week.

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