High Gate facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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High Gate
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The main house, looking Looking northwest from Fairmont Avenue
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 Location in West Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Location | 801 Fairmont Ave., Fairmont, West Virginia  United States |
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| Area | 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) |
| Built | 1910-12 |
| Architect | Horace Trumbauer |
| Architectural style | Tudor revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 82004326 |
| Added to NRHP | 1982 |
High Gate is a beautiful old house in Fairmont, West Virginia. It's also known as the James Edwin Watson House or Ross Funeral Home. You can find it at 800 Fairmont Avenue.
The High Gate house and its carriage house were built between 1910 and 1913. A rich businessman named James E. Watson had them built. His father, James O. Watson, was very important in West Virginia's coal industry.
A famous architect from Philadelphia, Horace Trumbauer, designed these buildings. They are great examples of Tudor Revival architecture. This style looks like old English homes from the Middle Ages. It features special details like half-timbering (wood frames showing on the outside), stucco walls, and clay-tiled roofs. This style became very popular for homes in the United States in the early 1900s.
Saving High Gate: A Look at Its History
High Gate is a special building because it shows an early example of the Tudor Revival style. This style became super popular in the 1920s and 1930s. The house also reminds us of how grand and fancy homes for wealthy people were in the early 20th century.
Keeping the Carriage House and Gardens Safe
In 2002, two groups teamed up to help save and fix up the High Gate Carriage House and its gardens. These groups were the Vandalia Heritage Foundation and Friends of High Gate. Their goal was to make sure these historic parts of High Gate would last for a long time.
The Vandalia Heritage Foundation planned to make the Carriage House and Gardens more useful. They also wanted to restore the second floor of the building. This restored space was going to be used for offices. By completing this work, Vandalia aimed to "Keep the Gates Open." This means they wanted to preserve an important National Historic Landmark in West Virginia. It's also a key part of Fairmont's local history.
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