Parts of W.Va. Culture Center set to close for renovations
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CHARLESTON – Much of the West Virginia Culture Center - home to the State Museum, archives and "Mountain Stage" - is closing ahead of its second major renovation since opening its doors more than 50 years ago.
In a statement provided over the weekend, newly appointed Department of Tourism Cabinet Secretary Kayla Kessinger said there will be no new reservations taken for events at the Culture Center next year.
“The Culture Center is vital to the state of West Virginia and the Department of Tourism,” Kessinger said. “We are working every day to evaluate the Culture Center’s needs and conduct renovations. Due to these renovations, we will not be accepting new reservations for 2027 at this time. We will honor all previously scheduled reservations unless communicated otherwise. The Department of Tourism will provide updates as renovations continue."
During last Wednesday’s quarterly meeting of the Educational Broadcasting Commission, the agency in the former Department of Arts, Culture and History that oversees West Virginia Public Broadcasting, it was announced that “Mountain Stage” will have to move its performances from the Norman L. Fagan State Theater at the Culture Center to a new venue.
“Mountain Stage” Executive Producer Adam Harris said he was working with West Virginia Public Broadcasting Interim Executive Director Kathleen Brady to find a new location to record the iconic live music show, which is carried by 230 NPR stations nationwide.
“Thanks to Kathleen, we’re currently making plans that I think are going to be successful for 2027, since the Culture Center is not being rented out next year, as some of you may know,” Harris told commission members. “But I think Kathleen has worked up a great arrangement for us that I’m sure we’ll find out about more whenever that’s able to be made public.”
The Department of Tourism did not provide additional information as to when renovations would begin and what parts of the Culture Center would be open to the public beyond access to the Great Hall. A walk inside the Culture Center Friday found only a few remaining America 250 exhibits in place, though most of the America 250 decorations and banners had been removed, with dehumidifiers set up at the front of the Great Hall.
According to its website, the West Virginia State Museum is closed due to maintenance issues. A Facebook post said the museum would be closed the first full week of September, though it remained closed last week as well. The gate to the State Museum gift shop is locked, urging people to instead visit TamarackWV.com and ShopWVStateParks.com.
“Pardon our dust! Exciting changes are underway as we refresh our gift shop, expand our product offerings, and create an even better experience,” according to signs outside of the gift shop. “We can’t wait to welcome you back soon!”
The West Virginia Culture Center, formerly the West Virginia Science and Culture Center, was dedicated by the late Gov. Arch Moore on July 11, 1976. The building is considered an example of the brutalist architectural style used from the 1950s through the 1970s.
The Culture Center is home to the State Archives, the State Museum, the Norman L. Fagan State Theater and the West Virginia Library Commission. Under former Gov. Joe Manchin, the Culture Center closed for renovations between 2004 and 2009.
During the recent legislative session, lawmakers passed House Bill 5685, authorizing up to $150 million in bonds for improvements for the Culture Center. During testimony and a tour of the facility by lawmakers earlier this year, officials with the Department of Tourism, which absorbed the divisions and commissions within the Department of Arts, Culture and History last year, explained that the Culture Center needed major capital improvements, such as new heating and air conditioning systems and electrical and plumbing upgrades.
Former Department of Tourism secretary Chelsea Ruby took lawmakers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Culture Center in March for a closer look at the electrical, plumbing, and roofing issues. During a budget presentation before the House Finance Committee on Feb. 5, Ruby said the Culture Center was in disrepair.
“When it rains outside, it rains inside at the Culture Center ... That was immediately a red flag,” Ruby said. “It’s 180,000 square feet. It’s five floors. And a number of years ago, it was taken out of the purview of the General Services Division. It seems to me after that happened there was very little routine maintenance that was done on the building.”
Issues include non-functioning heating and cooling in the building, lack of humidity controls in the archives section, almost no hot water, plywood covering windows, cracked marble, and dry-rotted carpet, among other deteriorating conditions.
Members of the Capitol Building Commission voted in May in favor of a new replacement plan for the Culture Center’s 40,000-to-50,000 square foot ballasted roof, which is currently in a state of disrepair with 32 years on a 20-year roof. The proposal included installation of new safety railings and tie points on the roof.
AAR of North Carolina Inc. was selected by the Purchasing Division on Aug. 27 to begin work on the roofing project at a cost of more than $1.1 million.