Hotel Thelma project receives grant

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (WVVA) - The development of the historic Hotel Thelma in Bluefield has received a boost from the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons).

A $15,000 Flagship Grant has been awarded to the Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Corp. (BARC), the developer of the Hotel Thelma restoration project.

BARC consultant Brian Tracey and Hotel Thelma owner and project board chair Rev. James Mitchell made the announcement, saying the project will eventually create 10 affordable apartments for seniors as well as revive the legacy of the hotel’s founder, black female entrepreneur Thelma Stone, who defied all odds in securing a construction loan to build it in 1948.

Hotel Thelma, located on Wayne Street in Bluefield’s East End, also has huge historic significance as a “Green Book” hotel, a book that listed places were African-Americans could stay during the Jim Crow era.

Guests at the hotel during this era included Tina and Ike Turner and James Brown.

Bluefield was one of only three communities in West Virginia, along with Ronceverte and Richwood, to receive the AARP’s Community Challenge grants.

Once restored, Hotel Thelma will also feature a restaurant that will include historic exhibits related to Stone’s story and the broader struggle for racial equality.

A loan of $1.5 million for the project from the Federal Home Loan Bank in Pittsburgh was approved in December 2024.