Built to provide superior access and visibility, it remains ideally suited to pedestrian and motor-vehicle commerce. It boasts two storefronts, a private alley, front- and rear-street access, and plentiful storage and potential residential space. Free public parking is convenient on Main Street and in the municipal car-park in the greenway. More than 130 parking spots are located within 600 feet of its entrances. More than 9,000 motorists pass the building daily.

The building is convenient to interstate commerce and is a drive of fewer than five miles from expressways I-77 and I-64, which are used daily by more than 40,000 motorists, according to the W.Va. Department of Highways. A recently completed section of the Coalfields Expressway, only a mile distant, has also increased ease of access to the region from the southwest.

Thanks to its federal designation as a historic structure, grants, and tax credits are available for the buildings continued repair and maintenance. Low-interest loans and other specialized financing and insurance programs may also be available as a result of its designation.

Formerly the center of an important coal-mining region, Sophia has transitioned to a residential service centera satellite of Beckley with a growing tourism component supported by the National Park Service and expanding trail systems. The National Coal Heritage Trail, a motor-vehicle tour that incorporates the historic district, is an important conduit for regional tourism. Off-road adventure tourism accommodating ATVs and trucks is extremely popular in the area. The 10,000-acre Burning Rock Off-Road Park is only four miles to the southwest, and more than 700 additional miles of trail in other off-road parks are located in the mountains beyond.

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.707827, -81.251459

Address: 122 West Main St., Sophia, WV 25921

Elevation: 2,320 ft. +/-