Welcome to a multi-part Huntington, West Virginia thread. In these posts, I will be poking around some Ritter Park neighborhoods, Pullman Square and then the downtown. You can see the rest at my Flickr account.

 

Downtown: The downtown saw its best years as the center of commerce during the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s, several department stores had moved to the 'suburbs' -- in East Huntington that creeped ever so further out towards Barboursville and Ona. When the Huntington Mall was completed in 1985, that sent a death notice to the downtown. It had already been hurt by the Superblock, a two-square block parking lot that was cobbled together out of the foundations of businesses, and by the major chains leaving (i.e. Stone and Thomas).

 

Today, thanks to Pullman Square and major downtown investment by an unlikely group -- young professionals and a changing climate that, yes, Huntington can rebound, you are seeing much growth. Upper floors of many structures are being converted into condos and lofts. Supporting businesses such as sundries and pet stores are seeing a comeback. Restaurants, coffee shops, and little nooks are reappearing. It's going to take time, but we are entering a new age in Huntington that will show promise, growth, and youth. Of course, you will always have the naysayers -- from those that still say Pullman Square is a failure for not having enough retail (it is not a mall), or for the Keith Albee becoming a performing arts center instead of a movie house (despite the fact its being renovated into its former glory after many years as a partitioned building), and the like.

 

Cabell County Courthouse.

 

Looking east towards the newer Holiday Inn on the left and Pullman Square in the background. Traffic was converted from four-lanes westbound to one-lane in each direction a few years back despite objections of heavy 'congestion' -- the same ones who also predicted that Pullman Square would fail -- were proven wrong. Traffic slowed down as predicted, and the street is coming back with much life. Condos, retail, restaurants, bars, it's all here.

 

Big Sandy Arena, in glorious 1970s architecture. Oddly enough, a plan in the early 2000s called for the razing of the civic center with a ... baseball stadium. This idea by a small group never ventured far.

 

The Coal Exchange building, at right, dominates the eastern downtown skyline along 4th Avenue. 4th Avenue will soon be reconstructed from four-lanes with parking to two-lanes with a landscaped median, bike lanes and parking.

 

The Pullman Square Plaza is a former Radisson Hotel. The parking garage behind it is much older though, and has ramps indicating it was to be much larger.

 

The Keith Albee is in the background.

 

The rear of the Fifth Third Center houses the St. James, being renovated into condos.

 

The Prichard Building is slowly being renovated into mixed-use apartments, condos and businesses.

 

The corner store is being renovated into a pet shop, perfect for the downtown dwellers!

 

9th Street was converted from a failed pedestrian mall (that was haphazardly converted to an automobile throughfare) to this more efficient street.

 

The Downtown Depot will offer unique gifts and crafts, similar to the Tamarack, and sundries for downtown employees and residents.

 

The Keen Jewelers building is  being renovated into four condos and retail.

 

The entryways into the former 9th Street Plaza feature a spire from the former 6th Street Bridge.

 

The Marshall Hall of Fame Cafe is at the corner of 9th Street and 3rd Avenue.

 

Enjoy part 2! You can find more at my Flickr account.

Hum...seems to be something missing.

 

Thanks for the photos, however, I'll have to cross the river if I ever make to Ironton or the like.

I love the old theatres downtown, which seemed to still be open and active when I stopped by a few years back.  Some impressive buildings for a city its size.  Now I head for the last part.

The Pullman Square Plaza is a former Radisson Hotel. The parking garage behind it is much older though, and has ramps indicating it was to be much larger.

 

...and before it was a Radisson it was a Holiday Inn.  I recall staying there with my folks back in the late 1970s(?).  It had a funny pool area with these palm thatch cabanas and a poolside bar..a taste of the tropics in West Virginia.  The windows in the hotel rooms actually opened up as they were patio doors..the skin was some sort of modular plastic panels...a good view of downtown from up there.

 

.....and the Coal Exchange.  Great name for a building.  Was there really some sort of coal exchange or coal trading operation in it, or was it just a name?

 

That whole Huntington/Ashland area is really interesting, as the place is pretty intensley developed, narrow, but strung out along the river...heading inland it gets rural pretty quick. 

 

So you are not far from the edge of the bluffs and that nice park area, south from downtown.

 

 

 

Tied with Charleston as the best downtown in West Virginia.

Good-looking downtown, actually. There are some great buildings, and the place looks pretty orderly and clean. I especially like the movement to return downtown thoroughfares back into local streets and calm the traffic.