City Council Chambers

As part of Huntington City Hall’s comprehensive multi-phase renovation, the 1,300-square-foot City Council Chambers underwent a transformative redesign. The project not only revitalized the aesthetic appeal of this historic space but also enhanced accessibility, transparency, and community pride.

The updated layout optimizes public seating, providing a more inclusive and comfortable gathering space. Updated lighting, finishes, and the newly constructed council dais seamlessly integrates state-of-the-art technology while respecting the building’s historic character.

During the renovation, the discovery and rehabilitation of the original terrazzo flooring added an extraordinary layer of historical significance. Its unique pattern and intricate design have been preserved, honoring the charm of the past while supporting modern functionality.

Durable, flexible furniture and improved accessibility clearances throughout ensure that the space remains welcoming and functional for all visitors. This renovation stands as a testament to the City’s dedication to preserving its heritage while fostering a modern, community-centered future.

City Hall Restoration

The comprehensive and multi-phase endeavor focused on providing an inviting, efficient and inclusive environment for all who enter its doors. The installation of accessibility features including lifts, elevators, handrails, and widened clearances, making City Hall inclusive and welcoming to all visitors, regardless of mobility challenges. One of the most noticeable changes was the replacement of the outdated windows with energy-efficient, double-glazed windows throughout. This not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of the historic City Hall, but also improves thermal insulation, reducing energy consumption and enhancing occupant comfort. Meticulous attention was paid to interior finishes, successfully preserving the building’s historic charm while incorporating contemporary design elements. Ornate ceilings and intricate moldings have been restored, complemented by fresh paint and tastefully chosen wall coverings. The final touch was the installation of new furniture, thoughtfully chosen to complement the architecture while providing ergonomic support for the staff, enhancing productivity and functionality in various departments throughout the building, and ensuring comfortable seating for visitors.  The upgraded and revitalized building serves as a source of pride for the community, accommodating citizens of all abilities and providing a modern, efficient, and pleasant environment for all who walk through its doors.

Nenni Building Restoration

The Nenni Building in Matewan, West Virginia was operated by the Nenni Family for over 100 years until the buildings were purchased by Coalfield Development in 2013. Originally three separate buildings, the project consists of the historic restoration, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse of the buildings. The renovations were approached in two phases

To preserve and restore the historically significant structures, the project consisted of adapting them to a new use of commercial space on the ground level and upper story lodging facilities to serve the Southern West Virginia coalfield region’s burgeoning tourism industry, specifically the Hatfield McCoy Recreational Trail System. With shell space on the ground level, and lodging areas on the second level, the interior renovations of the project were carefully considered. The interior objective was to prolong the historic components of the building by maximizing its authenticity, however, still creating a fresh, new space for future occupants. The exterior of the aged building is composed of brick, which will be cleaned and repointed. The original decorative cornices on the buildings have been removed over time, and these will be reconstructed as part of the project. It is paramount that the project maintains the integrity of the buildings; therefore, replaced elements will be as consistent as possible with that of the original units.

Situated on Mate Street in Matewan, WV, the site is located within the Matewan Historic District, deemed a National Historic Landmark through the United States Department of the Interior National Park Service. The site allows both locals and visitors to reflect upon not only the history of the building, but the history of the entire town of Matewan.

Marshall Herdzone Stadium Store

The Herd Zone Team Store creates a year-round retail point-of-sale location ideally situated within Marshall University’s Joan C. Edwards (football) Stadium.

Constructed from the ground up, the 2,400 sf store is situated beneath and carefully threaded between the stadium’s main structure. Its position maximizes visibility and ease of access when games are not being played, but during home games an additional, stadium side entrance is opened to permit better customer access and flow. The store also includes a window for walk-up ticket sales that helps increase retail traffic on game days. While the existing structure’s columns, beams, and bracing could not be used due to differential loading conditions, ETA utilized them to visually frame the store’s entries without directly connecting to any of the stadium’s structure. Store sales exceeded expectations during its first year’s operation, being especially robust on game days.

PROACT Huntington

The design team was challenged to renovate an existing, vacant building into an accessible service hub, bringing together behavioral, social and medical resources from the community to deliver care to individuals in every stage of addiction treatment and recovery.

The outpatient medical facility serves as a single regional referral point to assess patients following discharge from local emergency rooms and inpatient detox units and by referral from quick response and other emergency medical response teams.

The project’s program included a waiting area, children’s playroom, on-site pharmacy, clinical area, group therapy rooms, offices and staff meeting areas.

The clinical space included a small lab, blood draw area, nurse station, and exam rooms.

The design services for the project included assisting the client with the selection and purchase of furnishings and signage, creating a cohesive design palette and supporting the functional needs for each space.

Twin Towers Dining

Our firm worked with Marshall University and Sodexo Food Service to give a fresh face to the cafeteria and create new dining experiences for the students and faculty. There were multiple retail brands in the space including a deli, stone hearth pizza station, American cuisine grill, and Mongolian grill. The dining space was laid out to create an urban feel to allow the users to choose different “neighborhoods” to dine or study. The project was completed in 2011 with a $1,100,000 budget.

Student Center Dining

Our firm worked in conjunction with Marshall University, Sodexo Food Services, and Starbuck’s Coffee to create an interior community environment for the students and faculty. This was a multiple stage retail and food service project to allow each renovated area to not impact the function of the others while under construction. The end product seamlessly ties together the retail themes to create an inviting space to dine, converse, or study. The Starbucks was completed in 2009 with a $350,000 budget. The cafeteria and dining space was completed in 2010 with an $800,000 budget.

F. Ray Power Building

WV State University acquired the F. Ray Power Building, which had been vacant for some time, and rehabilitated the structure as their new Agricultural Research Station.

The F. Ray Power Building was formerly a part of the WV Division of Rehabilitative Services Complex, which was vacant for many years prior to becoming part of the West Virginia State University campus. The 33,300 sf building was renovated into an Agricultural Research Station, including wet labs, offices, and multipurpose instructional spaces.

The project was completed over four phases. The first phase consisted of providing temporary electrical power, lighting, and general clean-up of existing interior spaces consisting primarily of offices and related support spaces. Phase two consisted of selective demolition of existing interior spaces. The work was a preparatory phase to facilitate building evaluation and eventual renovations. Hazardous materials abatement was also completed by the Owner at this point.

Phases three and four consisted of roof replacement, storefront window replacement, interior walls, doors, interior finishes, chemical fume hoods, walk-in refrigerator, commercial and laboratory grade casework. The Systems scope of new work included Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Fire Protection, and IT/Data infrastructure.

Mountain Health Arena

Mountain Health Arena is a vibrant performance venue and a cornerstone of the downtown business district in Huntington, West Virginia. The circa 1980 structure was in need of attention to deferred maintenance and needed a  refreshed image to promote itself as an attractive venue to artists and the public. The renovations to the building were approached in phases, with the first phase being painting the exterior metal panels. ETA brought in renowned artist Don Pendleton to collaborate on the color selections and design, and to provide graphics reflecting elements of the region’s identity.

The second phase was a complete refresh of the convention center, with modern, bright colors and finishes. The third phase included reimagining the entry plaza to incorporate an exterior event space, tensile fabric shade structure, seating area with fire pit, interactive water feature, landscaping and lighting. At night, during events, the lobby is illuminated, and the plaza becomes an extension of the interior space, creating a bustling, beautiful focal
point for Huntington’s downtown.