Let’s go back in time, shall we?
Sometime around 1890, there was a watering hole in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. A saloon.
In all its original glory
It was probably a pretty fun place to hang out. It was there on Capitol Street, in the center of the city. I’m imagining sawdust on the floor, an upright piano that belted out tin pan alley favorites till the wee hours. Card games. Cigar smoke.
You know what I’m talking about, right? Like the old west, but back east. With a West Virginia feel to it. The side of the building had a big mural on the side- The White Elephant Saloon.
(Just a footnote: It’s not this saloon.)
Now fast forward to the next century.
The buildings on Capitol Street have become a become a beautiful, walkable mall. Great shops and restaurants are the new inhabitants, and there’s a community feel there for everyone that visits.
During a 2003 remodel, the building’s owner decided to take a peeK at what was under the paint on the wall. Lo and behold, there sat the white elephant, a gorgeuous artifact from a time long past.
It was restored by Jesse Corliss, a designer who worked in the same building. In 2004, the original painted sign on the brick wall, now inside the neighboring building, was brought back to life.
A few years later, the unthinkable happened. Actually, maybe that’s a little dramatic. Let’s put it another way:
Mid restoration, coming along nicely.
In 2008, the remarkably stupid happened.
A person who shall remain nameless leased the space to open a restaurant. For whatever reason (they hated beautiful, historical artwork?), they painted over it. Ugh.
The restaurant never opened. Hmmmmm.
Enter Pies And Pints. As lovers of all things cool, interesting, and delicious, there was no way we were going to let the elephant sit abandoned, forever relagated to a life under a coat of bland, boring paint. We called up Jesse, the original restorer of the painting, to come back and re-restore it (is that a word?) to its original awesomeness.
And that’s what you’ll see, the sign for the White Elephant Saloon, when you come into the new Pies And Pints on Capitol Street.
Pretty cool, no?
Tags: ambiance, art, history of charleston, murals, something new
i love history and art and this is a cool story. i am definitely going to visit pies & pints in Charleston.
glad you like, Tonja. See you there
I will be visiting the Univ. of Charleston with my daughter from California. I am very impressed with this story and the value you have placed on tradition and history. We will come by for some pizza when we are there for sure. …Hey and maybe we will become regular customers if my daughter ends up in Charleston for the next four years.