CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The oldest building on the West Virginia Capitol Complex is undergoing a complete renovation. Work started last month on Holly Grove and is expected to be completed by January 2027.
“It’s a project to really bring it back to life, to preserve the building, and make some useable space in it,” said Bob Kilpatrick, Director of the West Virginia General Services Division.
The building, located next door to the Governor’s Mansion, has a long history. It was first constructed in 1815 by David Ruffner and served as a home for the Ruffner family for almost a century. The building’s first big renovation came in 1832 after a catastrophic fire caused major damage. Ruffner renovated it with some modifications. Through the years it served not only as a residential home, but also a boarding house.
The Ruffner family sold the building in 1902 to James Nash who renovated it back to a residential dwelling. Nash built the first inside kitchen for the structure. During earlier years the kitchen was behind the house.
In 1974 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1975 the state acquired the property. It was renovated into an office building and the West Virginia Commission on Aging used it as an office starting in 1979. The building was renovated again in 1997 and it was the home of the Bureau of Senior Services until 2002 when they relocated. Since then, the building has been sitting empty and idle.
Kilpatrick said his department has done its best to keep up with as much maintenance as it can, but like any unoccupied dwelling, it will start to deteriorate.
“Wood rotting, roof falling apart, and masonry issues. We’ve managed to keep it mothballed, but at least kept whole and above ground,” he said.
March Westin is handling the work to renovate the facility with a complete makeover.
“There is historic preservation elements going into it to maintain original woodwork, repair the slate roof and we’ll touch the exterior of the building again because it needs some work. We’ll be addressing repairing and repainting wood finishes,” he added.
Inside the two levels are being gutted and renovated into an event space. HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems are all being upgraded. The building is getting a new kitchen to allow for catering and food preparation. The idea is the facility will eventually be an ideal place for a meeting, banquet, party, or wedding venue.
“A lot of people like to do weddings at the Capitol Complex so it gives us another option there. You can do conferences and meetings, but it’s not getting the data type systems that get installed into modern conference spaces. It’s for more like the casual event if you will,” he said.