Caldwell Building

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Shown here in a 1935 photograph, the Caldwell Building on the northwest corner of 4th Avenue
 and 9th Street was one of Huntington’s earliest business buildings when it was erected in 1897.
 In the 1950s, the building was one of several downtown that were covered with metal skins
 in an effort to look “modern.” In the 1990s, the metal skin was removed
and the structure restored to a vintage appearance.

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HUNTINGTON — Banker and businessman J.L. Caldwell (1846-1923)
was a force to be reckoned with in early Huntington.

When rail tycoon Collis P. Huntington arrived on the scene and founded his
 new town of Huntington, Caldwell moved quickly to take advantage of
the opportunities this presented. In 1884, he and several partners
 organized the First National Bank of Huntington. Caldwell
 became the bank's president, a post he would continue to
 hold until his death nearly 40 years later.

He was one of the first to see the possibilities of the rich coalfields
 of southern West Virginia and worked tirelessly to tap that vast
natural wealth. He built Huntington's first street railway
and its accompanying electric lighting system. And
 he largely financed construction of the
 luxurious Hotel Frederick.

In 1887, he erected the Caldwell Building at 4th Avenue and
 9th Street, one of Huntington's earliest business buildings.
 Over the years, the building would house various
 tenants, with Lawrence Drugs being
 perhaps the best known.

In the 1950s, the building was one of several downtown that were
 covered with metal skins in an effort to look "modern." In the
 1990s, great-granddaughter Liza Caldwell presided over
the removal of the Caldwell building's metal skin
 and its restoration to a vintage appearance.

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Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Apr. 22, 2019.

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