Hi folks, It's   come   to   my   attention   that   part   of   the   roof   has   blown   off   of   the   little   old building   next   to   City   Hall,   leaving   the   inside   exposed   to   the   elements.   This building    has    significance    because    it    is    listed    as    a    contributing    part    of Alderson's    Historic    District.    I    also    found    out    recently    that    it    is    the    oldest commercial building still standing in Alderson! :) Local   historian,   Jim   Costa,   has   been   inside   and   studied   the   building.   He   has dated   it   to   pre-railroad   days   at   the   least   because   of   certain   elements.   He   also says   that   it   is   structurally   sound   and   should   be   saved   as   part   of   the   town's history.   I   have   heard   before   that   some   of   the   building   contains   asbestos.   He says   that   is   only   in   the   outside   shingles   that   were   added   in   later   years.   That makes it a lot more simple task to restore than the Depot, which is great. As   I   understand   it,   the   Alderson   Historic   Landmark   Commission   was   created   to   preserve   and   protect   the buildings   in   the   Historic   District.   However,   I'm   sure   it   could   use   some   help   on   this.   There   is   also   the Monroe   County   Historic   Landmark   Commission,   which   would   certainly   have   an   interest.   I   have   spoken with   Gibbs   Kinderman   with   the   Friends   of   Monroe   about   it. And   I   have   spoken   with   a   member   of   the   board at   Preservation   Alliance   of   West   Virginia,   David   Sibray.   He   has   looked   up   the   building's   worth   and connection   to   the   Historic   District...and   agrees   that   it   needs   to   be   saved.   He   also   says   that   PAWV   will   help us save it, and that the State Historic Preservation Office would be interested as well. Certainly,   the   most   important   thing   to   do   in   the   interim   is   to   cover   the   exposed   area   of   the   roof   for   now.   I'm just    checking    to    see    what    the    plan    is    through    the    Town    and/or    the    Landmark    Commission    at    this point...and   asking   what   can   be   done   to   help.   This   is   a   great   opportunity   to   continue   preserving   and protecting our history AND building for our future in Alderson! Sincerely, Sarah Alderson