Historic Gem Restorations- West Virginia

11/22/2025

We need to keep this from happening to Marion County!

10/26/2025

We are proud to announce our 4th and final facade restoration for 2025. Here is a before and after of Mountaineer Florist. We redid their flooring for them and a small paint refresh. ✨

10/25/2025

We are so proud to be a part of this project! ✨

Bringing back the Show Building will require resources and labor, but to this new partnership, it would be worth it.

10/23/2025

We are excited to introduce our Design Consulting Service! A branch of our parent company. We will be starting a new page that focuses on our design services. If interested, please reach out for a quote. We are available for hire for both commercial and residential jobs.🗝️

About Historic Gem Restorations Design Consulting

At Historic Gem Restorations Design Consulting, we believe every space tells a story—and our mission is to help that story shine through with timeless authenticity and elegance. We specialize in historically accurate interior design, blending careful research with refined craftsmanship to preserve the character, charm, and architectural integrity of each property we touch. We also expand to exterior design including structure and garden design.

From Victorian parlors and Colonial farmhouses to Gilded Age mansions and early 20th-century landmarks, our team meticulously studies original materials, finishes, and period design details to ensure every restoration honors its heritage. We collaborate closely with homeowners, architects, and preservation experts to create interiors that are both true to their era and beautifully livable for modern life.

Our work extends beyond simple restoration—it’s about reviving the soul of a space, interpreting history through an artistic, detail-driven lens. With an eye for proportion, authenticity, and elegance, Historic Gem Restorations Design Consulting transforms properties into living pieces of history, where every molding, fabric, and fixture tells a part of the past.

Timeless. Thoughtful. True to history.
That’s the hallmark of Historic Gem Restorations Design Consulting.

10/18/2025

Proud to a part of this restoration!

Mannington Main Street has announced plans to revitalize their local theater. — https://www.wdtv.com/2025/10/17/mannington-main-street-announces-plan-revitalize-local-theater/

10/14/2025

Hi, I started this fundraiser, Donate to Restore Mannington Theater windows., on GoFundMe and it would mean a lot to me if you’d be able to share or donate to it.

Hi everyone! Due to the expressed interest in assisting us with the proje… Rebecca Juarez needs your support for Donate to Restore Mannington Theater windows.

10/13/2025

We are excited to reveal our 3rd facade restoration in Historic Downtown Mannington for 2025. Built in 1935 this building was the Mannington theater for a long stretch of time. It has been vacant for quite a while and fallen into disrepair. Mannington Main Street is raising funds to replace the roof, but we spent our funds giving it a facelift. We had old signage removed, repainted the bulk of the painted areas and freshen up the windows with some velvet curtains. We hope to raise more funds next year to do even more. But for now she looks much more inviting. ❤️✨🎨

You’ll see first before pictures, then a picture of the original movie projectors which are still inside. And then the picture of how the theater looks after we fix it up.

10/07/2025

Do you want to explore West Virginia’s most stunning landscapes while learning hands-on historic preservation skills? The Monongahela National Forest is recruiting AmeriCorps Historic Trades Team Members to help protect and restore cultural resources across 920,000 acres of rugged beauty.

Members will:
🔨 Restore historic CCC cabins, cemeteries, log structures, and more
📸 Document and research cultural resources for the National Register of Historic Places
📚 Develop educational and interpretive materials to share history with the public

This is your chance to serve full-time (35–40 hrs/week), travel throughout the Forest, camp outdoors, and gain experience in historic preservation trades.

📍 Based in Elkins, WV | Regional travel included | Training provided | $1800 stipend/month + benefits

➡️ Apply now to help keep history alive in the Mountain State!

10/07/2025

We were able to use some of the funds from the commission to purchase materials to fix up this eye sore in Mannington.
116 Buffalo St was once an Odd Fellows building. It is now the headquarters of our non profit as well as an Escape Room.

10/01/2025

Historic Gem Restorations applied and received a grant from the Marion County Commision this year. Our mission was to improve the façades of businesses in the Mannington Historic District. Yesterday, we completed the façade improvement for owner Karen Morris. This building at 116 Market St. in Mannington was at one time the first movie theater in the town. (See pic) After the horrible fires ravaged this area, the building changed purposes and is now a consignment shop. We hope you love your refresh Karen! Special things to volunteer Hayden Carpenter for helping paint the trim. 🎨

09/26/2025

Size Matters!

Replacement windows should always fill the historic opening fully. Undersized replacement windows will have a negative impact on both the exterior, where the historic character will be altered, and the interior, where the character will be altered and daylight lost.

If historic windows remain in place, rehabbing those windows is almost always the preferred approach. They can match the efficiency of new windows if properly repaired, fitted with weather stripping, and paired with a storm window. And they won't have to be replaced in 20 years like modern windows.

But sometimes replacement windows are necessary. When they are, it is important to get them right, including their size, whether ordered from a catalog or custom made.

Chapter 13 of "Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners" takes a deep dive into the subject of windows in historic houses - including appropriate replacement windows when the historic windows are already gone or beyond saving.

Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling 720-page hardcover book are available from the author in our online shop at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.

Our shop also carries select preservation titles by other authors.

© Scott T. Hanson 2025.

08/13/2025

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — Work to redevelop the Waldo Hotel in downtown Clarksburg reportedly has begun.