Pritchard

Ambitious Renovation Aims to Connect Seniors to Housing Services

Future President John F. Kennedy stayed there. So did the crew of the “Today Show,” as well as cowboy Gene Autry.

It was the scene of many weddings and proms, nights on the town, and gourmet meals served in the well-appointed restaurant.

The Prichard Hotel has a storied past and has cemented itself as a historic Huntington landmark. But now, under the ownership of Christ Temple Church, an ambitious renovation means the building’s future is looking just as bright.

“[Christ Temple Church] wanted me to spearhead this development,” said Nikki Thomas, president of Cornerstone Community Development Corporation and member of the church. “We didn’t know what we were going to do, but I put together a team, and we hit the ground running.”

The first of Cornerstone’s many challenges was to identify how the massive 13-story building could best be used. The church had previously attempted a drug rehabilitation facility at the site--a big need in Huntington--before deciding to go a different direction. Another big need? Housing, especially for seniors.

“We figured out the big need is elderly housing in West Virginia since we have a large aging population,” Thoms said. “Housing is limited for them.”

The West Virginia Housing Development Fund’s 2019 Statewide Housing Needs Assessment found that Cabell County needs more than 2,000 additional rental units to meet the needs of lower-income renters above the age of 60. The need is similar in other highly populated counties across West Virginia.

“Affordable housing is critical for seniors,” said Michelle Wilshere, Senior Division Manager of Multi-Family for the West Virginia Housing Development Fund. “We have an aging population, and many of our seniors live on fixed incomes and struggle to balance the costs of housing and other needs like health care or groceries. As people age, they may develop needs that their homes can’t meet, such as accessible bathrooms. A key part of the Fund’s mission is to partner with organizations like Cornerstone to provide seniors a place to live that is not only affordable but also meets their needs so they can continue to age in place for as long as possible.”

Cornerstone’s second challenge was pulling together funding for the massive renovation. Winterwood Development is taking the lead on rehabbing the building while partners, including CVS/Aetna, Marshall Health, the West Virginia Housing Development Fund, and others, provided a total of $50.6 million in financing. Of that, the Fund provided nearly $3.8 million in financing through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and National Housing Trust Fund Program, Multi-Family Housing Revenue Bonds of $27 million; and $16.8 million in equity generated through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program.

“This is a multifaceted capital project that required a lot of funding to make happen,” Thomas said. “It wasn’t just a couple of investors, it was also the smaller grants, the mid-size grants, the larger grants, all of it came together at the right time to make this happen.”

Other funding partners include the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History, Partner Community Capital, Mountain Health Network, and dozens of other organizations and individual supporters. Although pulling together so many partners and sources of capital presented some challenges, Thomas said the team remained focused on the vision and overcame those obstacles.

“No one ever gave up. We were all in sync,” she said. “We were all growing in the same direction. To have that was just a phenomenal gift.”

With more than a year remaining in the renovation, Thomas is looking forward to not only welcoming seniors to their new homes but also celebrating the value older folks bring to the community.

“I want to give seniors hope for the future,” she said. “They have people around them who care and love them and are hoping to enrich their lives and enable them to live longer lives independently. When seniors feel needed and wanted and have a sense of community around them, they live vibrant lives and can improve their mental and physical well-being by having housing with programs. We want to provide that for them, and we want to see them give back because that’s really what they want to do. They have a lifetime of experience and knowledge that younger people need, that the community needs.”

Loganwood Apartments

Loganwood Apartments represents a significant investment in creating quality, affordable housing options in the Logan County area, providing modern amenities and community spaces for residents. This development showcases the Fund's commitment to supporting multi-family housing throughout West Virginia.