Bluefield, WV (WOAY) The Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Corporation (BARC) is receiving a major investment to help preserve a piece of southern West Virginia’s Black history.
The nonprofit has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The funding will support the rehabilitation of the former Thelma’s Cafe inside the historic Hotel Thelma in downtown Bluefield.
BARC leaders say the project is about more than restoring a building. They say it’s an opportunity to preserve the legacy of African American achievement and resilience in the region.
The Hotel Thelma is one of just 27 sites nationwide selected to receive funding this year and the only site in West Virginia chosen for the program.
The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has raised more than $200 million to preserve historic Black sites across the country, with this year’s grants totaling $3 million for preservation projects.
