Project Highlight: Crawford Holdings Unveils New Facade at Staats Hospital

In January, Crawford Holdings unveiled a new facade at the Staats Hospital Building on Charleston’s West Side.

On January 14, a new façade was unveiled at the Staats Hospital building, an iconic structure with a rich history in the West Side neighborhood of Charleston. The property sat vacant and dilapidated until West Side developer Crawford Holdings purchased the building in 2014. Since then, they have worked closely with West Side Main Street, Charleston Urban Renewal Authority, and the Charleston Area Alliance to begin remediation and redevelopment at the site. Using funding from those groups and the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office, Crawford Holdings restored the façade to its historic design. This is the first major milestone on a project that will bring housing and retail opportunities to the West Side.

The Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center has been involved with the Staats Hospital project since 2012, when West Side Main Street first received a FOCUS WV Grant to begin redevelopment planning at the site. Since the purchase by Crawford Holdings, the West Virginia Redevelopment Collaborative has worked with the Charleston Area Alliance and the developer to continue that work, most recently awarding a $4,500 WVRC FAST Track grant at its Chopped event in January.