Since 1902, youngsters have passed through the halls and filled the classroom seats of what is now Mannington Middle School, in northern Marion County.
Now, school of a different kind is in session for the building, which is the oldest still in use in the Mountain State.
Mannington Middle this week was added to the Endangered Properties List of the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia.
Not with an eye of tearing it down, however.
Rather, the alliance’s executive director Danielle Parker said, the idea is to build up awareness of such properties – rich with the period, “lost-art” architectural details, as they are.
“Their inclusion on the list underscores the urgent need to protect these irreplaceable landmarks for future generations,” the director said.
“We are committed to working with local communities and stakeholders to find solutions that ensure their preservation.”
The building was home to Mannington High through 1979, when the consolidated North Marion High became part of the county’s educational landscape.
Related to its design, Mannington’s school has two distinct architectural features – both definitely smacking of longevity.
After the main structure went up in 1902, a second addition was completed in 1925 – boasting the building’s district clock tower that still commands downtown.
If that feature strikes a familiar chord, that’s because it is: The Wheeling architecture firm of Franzhelm, Giesey and Faris that designed the Mannington school was also behind the creation of WVU’s Woodburn Hall, with its requisite clock tower overlooking the downtown campus.
Donna Heston, the superintendent of Marion County Schools didn’t return calls in time for this report.
The current director of the state School Building Authority, though, remembers the building as remarkably sound, considering its age.
Andy Neptune, who began his career as a teacher in the county next door, was overseeing facilities management for the local district – when he was tapped two years ago to head the SBA, which doles out dollars for infrastructure projects across West Virginia’s 55 public school districts.
“I think the only thing we did at Mannington Middle when I was there were the basics,” he said. “Leaky roofs, replacement windows, stuff like that.”
He understands new schools construction is needed in West Virginia, he said.
Still, he likes the old structures that can be saved, he said – provided it’s practical and architecturally feasible to do so.
“These buildings are part of the history of all our communities.”
