Historic Belington building that ‘rose from the dead’ now full of businesses

BELINGTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — A 120-year-old building in Barbour County is now full of new life after sitting vacant for two decades.

The Golden Rule Building in Belington housed a department store until 1999, but after that store closed, the building was unoccupied until the city decided to restore it, a project that it completed in 2020, according to a press release.

The restoration included creating 10 apartments on the top floors and a business space on the ground floor. Although the apartments filled up quickly, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commercial space wasn’t quite as desirable. The city decided to invest more into the space to make it more appealing to businesses, such as adding a commercial kitchen and indoor and outdoor seating areas.

Now, 25 years after it became vacant, the Golden Rule Building is full of residents and businesses, including a bakery, art marketplace and the Barbour County Family Support Center, and even supports nine jobs, the release said.

To celebrate the building’s 120th anniversary and its recent revival, Woodlands Development Group, which helped complete the 2020 and 2024 updates, is holding an event for the community on July 26. From 10 a.m. to noon, tours of the building will be available, and during the celebration, a new project from Mountain State Quilting that will be displayed in the building’s front window will be unveiled.

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