The 14th Street West Historic District [†] comprises the commercial center of the West Huntington neighborhood. The district is a linear commercial street six blocks long running from Madison Avenue to Virginia Avenue. It served as the center of the surrounding residential and industrial town of Central City. Here are located the retail shops that serviced the community and industries. 14th Street West is a relatively wide two-lane street with broad sidewalks. There is parking on both sides of the street. Buildings in the district are mostly one- and two-story commercial structures representative of late nineteenth and early to mid twentieth century architectural styles. The buildings form a strong street wall along the sidewalk at the lot lines. These characteristics contribute to the pedestrian atmosphere of the district and create the outdoor space that defines the district.
The 14th Street West Historic District is located in the City of Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia. It is on the west side of the city, approximately 2.25 miles from the Central Business District. The terrain is flat, on the plain south of the Ohio River, and positioned between the river and the railroad tracks, on the south side of the neighborhood. The tracks run the full length of Huntington and divide the downtown from the more residential south side of town. 14th Street West runs north-south from Virginia Avenue on the north to the railroad viaduct, south of Van Buren Ave. A railroad line ran along Fifth Ave., but this is no longer present. This was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line, built to service industrial sites and part of the B&O and C&O system connecting the Ohio River to Virginia’s Coast. Due to the width of the railroad right of way related to the number of tracks associated with it, the removal of the tracks resulted in a wide swath of public land unoccupied and with no built historic resources. As a result, Fifth Ave. has a center median with flanking one-way streets. The median is used for parking or lawn areas. In recent years Huntington has taken advantage of this public space with the construction of the Wild Ramp Market, Plaza with Entertainment Gazebo, parking lots, community center and access for the fire station in the median. An active railroad spur line runs north-south along 15th Street West, one block west of 14th Street West. Thus, the neighborhood is bounded by the Ohio River and rail lines on the west and south. To the east, between 14th Street West and Huntington’s downtown, are mostly single family detached residences with modest yards. There is a concentration of fast food and commercial buildings about midway to the downtown. West of 15th Street West the neighborhood becomes industrial with large warehouses, factories and industrial buildings. There are a few residences interspersed in this industrial neighborhood. South of Madison Ave. for two blocks, to Jackson Ave., the commercial buildings and industrial sites have been replaced with modern shopping plazas and supermarkets. Below Jackson Ave. is a historic industrial site, Duncan Box.
† Michael Gioulis, Historic Preservation consultant, 14th Street West Historic District, nomination document, 2023, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.
Street Names
13th Street West • 14th Street West • 15th Street West • Madison Avenue • Virginia Avenue