137 Main St

Description

HISTORIC COLLINS BUILDING, BRAMWELL, WVIn the picturesque Bramwell National Historic District, the Collins Building on Main Street includes five storefronts and four second-floor apartments. Constructed in 1922, the income-earning property was designed by architect Alex Mahood to accommodate the town's affluent visitors. At the turn of the 20th century, tiny Bramwell boasted the greatest number of resident millionaires per capita in the U.S. On National Register of Historic Places Grants and tax credits available for renovation Four tenant-occupied storefronts Four apartments used as short-term rentals Adjoins high-impact ATV tourism region 300 feet from Bramwell Visitor Center Approximately 3,900 square feet of private parkingOVERVIEW The Collins Building is an anchor property in Bramwell and fronts Main Street, the most trafficked thoroughfare in its historic district. Many visitors exploring the district walk past the building between the visitor center and the residential section, which includes many of its most elaborate structures. An estimated 50,000 visitors tour the district annually. Many are off-road adventurers traveling the adjacent trail systems, while others are attracted chiefly by Bramwell's remarkable history and architecture. More than 400 vehicles travel past the building daily. The property includes five street-level storefronts and four upstairs apartments. Approximately 3,900 square feet of private parking adjoins the building at the rear on River Road, while public parking is also available along Main Street and in a lot 130 feet away at the west end of the block. The subject property is the long-time home of the United State Post Office of Bramwell, WV Four of the five storefronts are occupiedby Blue Moon Antiques, Honeycomb Cafe, and the U.S. Post Office. A fourth storefront and a smaller fifth are partly occupied. Four store sections are approximately 21 feet wide by 65 feet deep and enclose approximately 1,365 square feet, though dimensions vary slightly from one to another. The fifth is 10 feet wide by 30 feet deep. It encloses approximately 300 square feet and has traditionally been entered from the adjacent store rather than the street. Each of the store sections is heated and cooled with a heat pump. Each of the four upstairs apartments includes a foyer, living room, dining area, an eat-in kitchen, two bedrooms, and a full bath. All feature two entrances leading off a central lobby. The second entrance to each may have been designed for servants attending to guests. Dimensions vary, though each apartment is approximately 1,300 square feet. They open into a skylight central lobby accessed by stairs that lead to the street levels at the front and rear of the building. Each of the apartments is heated with electric and propane units. HISTORY OF THE BUILDING The Collins Building was built in 1922 by Jairus Collins, one of the most influential developers in the surrounding Pocahontas Coalfield. Born in 1859 and raised in the lignite-mining fields of Alabama, he moved to Bramwell in 1896 when he became general manager of the Louisville Coal & Coke Co., and in 1902, opened mines of his own in Mercer and nearby McDowell counties. He was a founding member of the Pocahontas Operator's Association and was the brother of Justus Collins, who helped develop the New River Coalfield some 50 miles to the north. Jairus Collins In about 1900, he built a fanciful home on Brick Street, now admired by visitors for its hallmark square tower, and in 1910, he built a larger residence on South River Street. It's been said that Mrs. Collins grew frustrated with the many visitors she was forced to entertain and insisted that Mr. Collins build the apartments to accommodate their guests. Alex B. Mahood He commissioned architect Alex B. Mahood to design the two-story building. Known for his civic and commercial projects, Mahood studied at the cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris before returning to the U.S. He designed many notable buildings in West Virginia. His drawings, plans, and other records are in the Eastern Regional Coal Archives in the Craft Memorial Library in Bluefield. The building was built of deep red brick in the commercial mode of the period, strongly defined by first-floor storefronts of plate glass that allowed for the display of merchandise. Slender vertical piers divide the front facade into five bays or storefronts. For much of its history, the building included only four bays, though a fifth of only one story was later added. Retractable awnings on the south-facing front helped cool interiors in summer and warm them in winter. The upstairs apartments were designed for coal industry executives and affluent guests. Each apartment included two bedrooms, a living room, an eat-in kitchen, a full bathroom, and an entrance foyer. Each also included a secondary entrance, ostensibly for deliveries. With their exception, all rooms in the apartment enjoy plentiful sunlight cast through tall, double-hung windows. The apartment entrances open into a nearly square central lobby, from which wide stairs descend to the street-level front and rear. A square central skylight enhances the room's functionality and dimensions, nearly 16-by-19 feet. The Collins building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 when the U.S. Department of the Interior established the district. HISTORY OF BRAMWELL Long a remote farming community, the present Town of Bramwell grew rapidly in the 1870s with the arrival of the Norfolk and Western Railway, which allowed for shipment of the region's coal to outside markets. Established in 1888, the town was named for J.H. Bramwell, one of the region's first coal magnates and the town's first postmaster. As the mining industry grew, entrepreneurs by the dozens arrived in the area. Many of the most successful built residences in and near the town, though they also maintained large homes in cities such as Washington, D.C., and New York City. In the