The Alkire Mansion
KEYSER, W.Va. – A wrecking ball looms over the fading Alkire Mansion, but the Keyser City Council is giving the deteriorating building a three-month reprieve in the hopes that grants can be obtained to restore the historic structure.
The City Council has been wrestling with the fate of the old building at Mill Meadow Park for the past two months, ever since Councilman Sonny Alt reported that the 18-century structure is badly deteriorated, with the interior fouled by excrement from feral cats. As Council members began considering their options, Alt said demolition was a distinct possibility.
After tracking down the 2008 lease under which the building had been transferred to a non-profit for development of an addictions-treatment halfway house, the city determined that the lease had been violated for non-payment of the annual $1 token payment, as well as a requirement that the non-profit maintain the structure in good condition.
Councilman Terry Liller then championed a second attempt at a lease arrangement, saying the building could essentially be donated to a contractor who would then agree to restore the mansion for use as a dwelling or business location.
Mayor Randy Amtower reported last week, though, that a solicitation seeking proposals for such a project drew only limited interest…