Woodlands Development and Lending celebrates opening of restored Woods-George Building in Philippi

Historic 1901 building renovated into workforce housing and commercial space.

PRESS RELEASE

PHILIPPI, W.Va, — Woodlands Development and Lending will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to inaugurate the Woods-George building in downtown Philippi. The event will take place on April 13th, 2026, from noon to 1 PM at the corner of South Main and Mason Street in Philippi. Community members are welcome to attend.

The Woods-George Building holds significant historical and cultural importance for the Philippi community. Constructed in 1901, the building housed the Citizens National Bank, law offices, and the county’s surveyor’s office by 1902. Sold in 1943 and repurposed to house the Barbour County Board of Education and several auxiliary classrooms for Philippi High School, the building was later owned privately  and converted into apartments. This Woodlands project contributes to ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown Philippi while extending access to high-quality, affordable housing in Barbour County. 

Historic renovations at the Woods-George building re-opened bricked over doors and windows and were possible because the structure remained intact despite 35 years of deferred maintenance. The first floor has been renovated into an ADA-compliant, one-bedroom unit and commercial space. The upper floors hold 4 apartments with 2 bedrooms, two of which have access to a deck. The apartments range from 565 to 750 sq. ft., and rents will be between $690 to $750.  

 “The redevelopment of the Woods-George building is a key project for Woodlands, and just a great restoration of a central historic building in downtown Philippi. Our local partnerships made this happen – the City of Philippi has been integral since the very beginning, and, as with other Barbour County developments, Freedom Bank has been with us every step of the way. It’s this kind of local visionary leadership that will continue to grow downtown Philippi into a dynamic and vibrant centerpiece. We hope that this project leads to future opportunities to work together with these partners,” said Dave Clark, Executive Director of Woodlands Development and Lending.

The project was made possible by funding from Senator Shelly Moore Capito, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, the WV Housing Development Fund, and the Governor’s Office. Strong local partners like the City of Philippi and Freedom Bank were critical to the success of this project and Woodlands hopes that the improvements contribute to ongoing and lasting growth and positive development for the Philippi community. 

Woodlands Development and Lending works to develop affordable housing, drive downtown development, increase community capacity, and provide affordable small business support and lending services to the communities in our service area. Woodlands Development and Lending is an Elkins, WV based Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) and Financial Institution (CDFI) that counties in North Central WV.