Carriage
House Restoration
Phase III of
the MacFarland - Hubbard House Restoration: A Project in Three Phases
by the West Virginia Humanities Council
Introduction
In October 2002, the West Virginia Humanities Council began phase three
of the MacFarland-Hubbard House preservation with the renovation and
adaptive reuse of the "carriage house" at the back of the
property. Plans called for renovating the first floor of the 1920's
structure for use as a conference/lecture room and exhibit space. This
area represents the single largest programming space on the property.
The second floor has been adapted for a state-of-the- art electronic
publishing center, whose first project will be the on-line version of
the West Virginia Encyclopedia.
Renovation of the carriage
house has accomplished two goals: to complete restoration of all structures
on the historic property and to provide additional space for programming
consistent with the Humanities Council's mission.
The Structure
and Renovation
Built on the site of an earlier stable/carriage house, the structure
was constructed for use as an automobile garage with living quarters
on the second floor. The built-in cabinetry in the apartment's galley
kitchen matched that in the butler's pantry off the kitchen in the main
house, so it is estimated that the two spaces were built at the same
time, probably during the major renovation commissioned by the Crowley
family in 1923.
As was the case with the
historic house, the carriage house is structurally sound. Exterior renovation
included replacing any bad wood on the roof, refelting, and replacing
the tile; replacing rotted wood in sofits and eaves; replacing gutters
and down spouts; correcting drainage around the building; and painting
the wood and brick exterior. The folding wooden garage doors were replaced
with doors that appear identical to the old ones, thereby maintaining
the look of a carriage house, but which opens only in the center for
ease of entrance and exit and for heating and cooling efficiency.
The
Need
Since its opening, the MacFarland - Hubbard House has served as a site
for many Humanities Council programs conducted in Charleston. The renovated
first floor of the carriage house provides the Council's only large,
unobstructed conference room, estimated to be at least one-quarter larger
than the board room in the house where the Little Lecture Series is
currently held.
The second floor provides
additional offices needed for the Council's proposed electronic publishing
center. They will house staff and equipment to maintain the on-line
version of the West Virginia Encyclopedia. Once the print version of
the encyclopedia is published the Humanities Council plans to launch
the on-line version, making the encyclopedia content, with the on-going
revisions necessary to keep it current, available to students and researchers
via the Internet. This function will help to fulfill the Council's mission
to provide access to humanities education statewide.
Since the renovation was
completed in early 2003, the Carriage House has served as an excellent
meeting space. Please check back for updated photos!
