Historic Fayetteville Schoolhouses To Become Hotel, Townhomes

Three Historic Fayetteville schoolhouses will soon be transformed into upscale hotels, apartments and townhomes.

Inside the nearly 100-year-old former Fayetteville High School building, Gov. Jim Justice announced a $15 million tourism and redevelopment project.

Mountain Shore Properties, LLC will convert the former high school and the adjacent middle school building into a 45-50 room boutique hotel. The neighboring elementary school building will be transformed into 20-24 apartment units, while retaining the former gymnasium as a community facility for the citizens of Fayetteville. The plan also includes townhome development.

Mountain Shore founder Charlie Wendell has constructed 11 West Virginia hotels and others around the country. Building one in his hometown, where he went to school, sets the bar high.

“I’m from Fayetteville, West Virginia,” Wendell said. “And although we have developed 27 hotels, in 10 different states, I’m extremely humbled to have the opportunity to honor all those who have come before me by making this project the best one we’ve ever attempted to complete.”

Justice and Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby explained that this landmark development comes just a little over a year after the designation of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Since the park designation, the area has received an incredible amount of national and international recognition as a top-tourism destination. They both expect the school house/hotel project to fuel continued growth in the region

“Tourism is exploding all across West Virginia. We have waves and waves of people that are visiting our great state, and you can bet that the addition of a classy boutique hotel like this, within a rock’s throw of America’s newest national park, will draw them in droves,” Justice said. “It’s great to see a West Virginia native son like Charlie coming back home to invest in our communities.”

Wendell noted that the Italian stone masons who built the old school’s original stone walls and fast holding joints back in 1923 still have decendants living in Fayetteville today.