An ambitious $50.8 million project is breathing new life into one of Huntington’s oldest skyscrapers.
By James E. Casto
HQ 125 | SPRING 2024
Opened in 1926, Huntington’s Hotel Prichard was long one of the city’s leading hotels. Located on the busy corner of Sixth Avenue and Ninth Street, it had 300 guest rooms, each with its own private bathroom, a rarity at that time, along with a big ballroom and a fine restaurant, the Hunt Club.
Over the years the Prichard had some famous guests. In 1949, singing cowboy Gene Autry stayed there when he was in town for a show. His horse Champion slept elsewhere. But a chimpanzee named J. Fred Muggs was an honored guest in 1956 when the cast of television’s Today show came to Huntington. John F. Kennedy, his wife Jackie and his brother Ted all stayed at the Prichard during JFK’s successful 1960 presidential primary campaign.
But the hotel closed in 1970. Subsequent efforts to turn it into a mixed-use building with apartments and businesses and, later, a drug rehabilitation facility proved unsuccessful. In recent years, the building had stood vacant and neglected — a 13-story eyesore in the heart of the city’s downtown.
Now the curtain is going up on a bright future for the old hotel. Work is underway on a $50.8 million project that will see it transformed into 108 units of affordable housing and a health center for low-income seniors.
Overseeing the transformation is Nikki Thomas, the president of Cornerstone Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit umbrella organization that has brought together more than 20 partners — including businesses, individuals and state and federal agencies — to make the project happen. Thomas is also the development director at Golden Girl Group Home in Ceredo and has extensive experience in securing grant funding. But Thomas is quick to recognize others who have played a role in this ambitious project.
“My pastor, Chuck Lawrence of Christ Temple Church, has long envisioned this transformation,” said Thomas. “Knowing my background in grant funding, he asked me to take charge. Initially I told him no, it would take a miracle to pull off the project. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized we simply had to do it. It took six years, but we saw the need and stepped up to the plate.”
Lawrence also enlisted another member of his congregation in the Prichard renovation project. Today, Randy Saunders, a partner with the Huntington law firm of Nelson Mullins, is the vice president of Cornerstone Development. Saunders predicts that when the renovation is completed in 18 months, it will be a huge asset for downtown Huntington.
“The Prichard building will not only provide access to affordable living, services and enrichment for seniors in the Huntington area, but it also will stand as an example of what can be accomplished when a community comes together to improve local infrastructure and quality of life,” said Saunders. “What’s more, these benefits will extend to the surrounding community and beyond.”
Speaking at the Feb. 5 groundbreaking for the Prichard renovation, Lawrence said, “Christ Temple Church is so grateful to have played a part in the extraordinary value and advantage this project will bring. We’ve always lived by the philosophy that if you find a need then you need to fill it. This project was a call to action for our congregation.”
Thomas said the Prichard building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, received both federal and state historic tax credits and is thought to be the largest historic tax credit project in state history. She credited Sen. Bob Plymale, D-Wayne, for working with Cornerstone Development from the beginning of the project on the tax credits and bringing in other partners throughout the region.
“This project has been an ongoing effort with many leading organizations in our region and our state. Together, they are bringing a large number of great jobs and sustained economic development to the area,” Plymale explained. “The use of historic tax credits illustrates how well vetted incentives can serve as a transformative regional catalyst. This groundbreaking is a part of the next chapter not just for this building, but for our entire community.”
According to Thomas, the renovation project is expected to create more than 200 construction jobs. The Prichard’s first two floors will include a community health clinic managed by Marshall Health Network for the building’s residents and will be open to other senior citizens as well. Hospice of Huntington plans to occupy space on the first floor to facilitate a medical day center for aging adults.
“We are excited to see the transformation of the historic landmark building develop into a hub for excellent senior living and services,” said Melanie Hall, president and CEO of Hospice.
According to Brenda Landers, the executive director of the Metro Area Agency on Aging, her organization will have a referral space in the building to provide accessible resources to disabled seniors who may have otherwise been unable to utilize this help.
“We look forward to encouraging older adults to lead active and healthy lives in dignity and in full enjoyment of their rights and independence,” Landers said.
Huntington Mayor Steve Williams said the project accomplishes many goals.
“The Prichard project will give much-needed affordable housing and health care services to our senior citizens and renovate a historic tall building in downtown Huntington that was once considered a liability, and it continues the momentum of development in our downtown,” Williams said. “With major investments in Pullman Square, the Innovation Hub along Fourth Avenue and the Prichard project, I see a triangulation of development in the area that will lift the entire downtown and be a catalyst for additional development and investments.”
