Historic Hotel Thelma awarded a $1.5 million federal grant | News

bluefield — A major grant that will help turn a historic hotel which served Black travelers during the days of segregation into apartments for senior citizens has been approved by the Federal Home Loan Bank Pittsburgh, the project’s sponsors announced Friday.The Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Corporation and the Hotel Thelma Project Corporation announced that the Federal Home Loan Bank Pittsburgh has awarded the Hotel Thelma Apartments a grant of $1.5 million under its Affordable Housing Program (AHP).The Affordable Housing Program provides grants and subsidized loans for the acquisition, construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing for households with incomes at or below 80% of the area median income. Housing developers partner with members of the Federal Home Loan Bank to apply for AHP funding, which is offered through one competitive funding round each year, according to a joint press release from the revitalization corporation and the Hotel Thelma project.
The application for the Hotel Thelma Project Corporation was sponsored by MCNB Banks, a member bank of the Federal Home Loan Bank Pittsburgh.BARC and the Hotel Thelma Project Corporation will use the funds to restore and redevelop the Hotel Thelma, a historic Green Book hotel at 1047 Wayne Street in Bluefield’s East End, a historically Black community. The project will create 10 affordable, healthy and safe studio and one-bedroom apartments for seniors as well as space for a restaurant, according to the joint announcement.The project will also serve to revive Thelma Stone’s legacy, a testament to Black female entrepreneurship in the segregated South. Securing a construction loan from a White-owned bank in 1948 to develop her business was a remarkable feat for a Black woman during the Jim Crow era, demonstrating Stone’s exceptional business acumen and determination, according to the joint announcement. Her success challenged prevailing racial barriers and served as an inspiration to other aspiring Black entrepreneurs, reflecting the growing momentum of the civil rights movement. Exhibits in the project’s restaurant will share her inspiring story, contextualized within the broader struggle for racial equality.

“Our hope is that her story will inspire a new generation of Black entrepreneurs in Bluefield,” said Rev. James Mitchell, board chair of the Hotel Thelma Project Corporation.“BARC is proud to act as the developer of the Hotel Thelma Apartments and to jointly announce with Rev. Mitchell and the Hotel Thelma Project Corporation board the award of this sizable grant,” said Brian Tracey, BARC’s executive director.BARC is a community-based non-profit that owns the Granada Theater and Raleigh Street Cinemas, offering first-run movies and multiple other entertainment options as well as education programs throughout the year. BARC also acts as a developer of real estate for community purposes in Mercer County, WV. For more information on BARC, visit barcwv.org.The Hotel Thelma Project Corporation is a non-profit formed for the sole purpose of saving the Hotel Thelma.Contact Greg Jordan atgjordan@bdtonline.com

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