BECKLEY, W.Va. — Just five months after announcing its closure, the former Black Knight Country Club is preparing to reopen with a new owner and name.
The Beckley City Council decided at Tuesday’s meeting to rename the facility to “Historic Black Knight”. The decision to alter the name was made after some residents expressed concern over the connotation of the term “country club” considering the city will reopen the property to the public.
“We feel like that when you have a brand that’s almost 90 years old, to just walk away from that would probably be a marketing blunder,” said Beckley Mayor Rob Rappold. “And that’s not to say that at some point down the road we may consider a name change, but for the time being it is Historic Black Knight.”
The property includes a clubhouse and restaurant, pool, tennis courts, 9-hole golf course and about 60 acres of land. Before the city acquired Black Knight, it was most previously owned by Gov. Jim Justice.
Among the additions to the property, the City of Beckley has applied for a license to operate a restaurant and/or tavern on site. Rappold said in order to continue attracting functions and reservations, they must compete with other similar venues across southern West Virginia.
“A big part of what we need to do for the financial security of Black Knight, we need to continue to be able to offer that as a venue for wedding receptions, class reunions and other social events. You’re really not in that business if you don’t have the ability to serve alcohol.”
Black Knight is on schedule to open before July 4th. Rappold also indicated several private events have already been reserved.