A Class Act

Story by Amanda Larch
Photos by Josh Baldwin & Sheena Pendley

Filled with relics and memorabilia, The Schoolhouse Hotel is completely renovated from a historic school building in the heart of White Sulphur Springs. It’s also the world’s first fully accessible hotel, now open to any and all guests.

School is back in session at The Schoolhouse Hotel in White Sulphur Springs. A wedding destination and conference center, the Schoolhouse is a full-service boutique hotel with a rich history, renovated from the White Sulphur Springs High School, which operated from 1912 to 1992.

Embracing its past, furnished with authentic school memorabilia and complete with 30 school-themed rooms, this hotel steps into the future to accommodate all its guests.

Aside from the unique theme, history, and décor, the Schoolhouse, which opened this past May, stands out in another, perhaps more important, way: it’s the first fully accessible hotel in the world. Following and exceeding the Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines, the hotel offers amenities for, and is tailored to, guests with disabilities. Made possible by the not-for-profit Disability Opportunity Fund, created by Schoolhouse Hotel developer Charlie Hammerman, the Schoolhouse adheres to the DOF mission of enhancing living areas for people with disabilities.

The DOF, one of 1,000 community development financial institutions certified by the U.S. Treasury Department, was established in 2006. Based out of New York, Hammerman often traveled to White Sulphur Springs and realized the area would benefit from a hotel.

“Because of the Disability Opportunity Fund, Mr. Hammerman was talking to people about what we can do around here; after the flood, the town needed to come back to life,” says Mia Wooding, business manager of the Schoolhouse. “Many people were telling him we needed a hotel here.”

Hammerman took a tour of the town to find the perfect place for a hotel. He fell in love with the vacant White Sulphur Springs High School building and started making his plan a reality. Affordable with a high-end feel, the hotel has a special history that’s preserved within, and it’s the first hotel completed through the DOF.

Several sets of stairs, including those leading to the stage in the ballroom—renovated from the old high school gymnasium—flatten out and allow wheelchair lift access. Each of the 30 rooms, including the two suites, come with a Google assistant, which accesses the front desk to place requests for anything guests might require. There are push button controls for lights, blinds, and drapes. Every guest room bathroom comes equipped with motion technology, to automatically open and close doors.

So many details have been attended to. In the hotel’s Varsity Club restaurant, the bar has a high-low floor, meaning the floor is lower in the wheelchair-accessible area, so the guests and bartenders are face-to-face. Wooding says this was a thought from Hammerman, and what a wonderful and inclusive feature that infuses even more of a welcoming feel into the place.

Additionally, the hotel’s Meditation Room is a space created specifically for sensory relief, or just simply quiet time, for guests with autism or other sensory concerns. There are noise cancelling headphones, sensory toys, light controls, and children’s books.

The guest rooms have a minimalist design, with accents of cool toned colors and just the right amount of furniture; there are high ceilings and large, airy windows. There is no clutter, no obstructions, no funky designs or patterns. The mind, and body, can relax and rest easy here—and the design is intentional, following ADA clearance, says Christina Anderson, senior interior designer.

“We wanted the rooms to be very homey and had to be very selective on choosing the pieces of furniture and how they could be used in the space,” Anderson says. “Functionality and use of every inch of the room was emphasized at the beginning of the project, and I think we achieved a great balance in the end.”

Anderson and her team achieved a sophisticated and inviting look, using little details to give nods to the school theme without being over the top. Their goal was to create a more mature take on a school-themed design; the result is fresh and modern. They selected furniture styles that were somewhat traditional, adding modern plaid pieces or leather accents that resembled football stitching.

“It all really pulled together when we designed the lobby and (Varsity Club) restaurant. It took a lot of selection and re-selection to get it exactly the way that we wanted it to look, and I think the outcome is pretty spectacular,” she says.

Wooding says the hotel’s reception has been wonderful so far, especially for community members, and many who worked or attended the school stop by to reminisce. This is something I witnessed firsthand, as Wooding points out one of her old teachers enjoying lunch at The Varsity Club.

“People are excited to come in and see what they did to the old junior high,” she says. “We have people who have family with disabilities that come in to see if it is accessible, and they’re spreading the word that it is.”

You can’t help but be excited by such a clever atmosphere inside the hotel, even without a personal connection to the school building itself. My tour of the Schoolhouse is twofold in its purpose. I’m able to learn about the history, and Wooding can reminisce. I can almost see the school as it was when she attended it, and it adds to my enthusiasm. Most fun of all, from The Rooftop, we can see the old football field, where Wooding played in the band and was part of the cheer squad. It’s easy to see why Wooding says she’s still a cheerleader for the school.

Photo by Miguel Vaquez

Photo by Miguel Vaquez

The views from up here are nothing short of spectacular; you can see the whole town, can really get a feel for why it’s so important to the Schoolhouse to support and build up the community.

The Schoolhouse strives to support the community, especially its children, says Genny Freiman, project manager for the DOF. They sponsor school supply giveaways and help sponsor local school football and cheer leagues to ensure they’re able to get the necessary uniforms and equipment.

Another way the hotel promotes the community is by encouraging guests to visit downtown and spend their dollars.

“Whether that’s shopping or eating, we encourage all guests to see what Main Street has to offer, and if they’re looking to go outside of White Sulphur Springs, there’s Lewisburg as well,” Freiman says.

The Schoolhouse also supports other West Virginia businesses as much as possible, Freiman says, from selling Mountaineer Popcorn in their market, to supplying bottled water from Lesage Water, or serving draft beer from Big Draft Brewing. “And we’re still thinking of ideas every day,” she says.

Another aspect that’s important to Schoolhouse Hotel staff is connecting to alumni and others who have a relationship to the school and its history. Freiman says quite a few alumni have reached out to share stories and stopped by to remember their glory days.

“One woman brought her entire family on Memorial Day weekend this year, so her grandkids could sleep where she used to sleep when she was in class,” Freiman says. “The stories are endless. As Jennifer Andrews likes to say, it’s like living a class reunion every day.”

Wooding says she hopes something guests take away from their experience at the hotel is the love and community present, and that they not only learn the history but come to love it as much as the staff does.

“My favorite part of the hotel is that we have made it accessible for everyone and that it wasn’t torn down and was reinvented to be something else,” she says. “I love to have anyone come in, speak of their experience, spread the word, and bring more love and more communities in.”