Click to enlarge. Photo for thegazz.com by Walker DeVille

One hates to see forlorn, empty shopfronts downtown, especially ones so notable and dominant as the old Stone and Thomas quarters at the corner of Lee and Dickinson streets. The building, erected in 1948, has been described as an "art moderne-style landmark" and I couldn't agree more. Last year, the W.Va. Division of Culture and History included it on a list of 26 sites across the state in its first ever "West Virginia's Most Endangered Historic Places" list (patterned after the National Register of Historic Places program.) There had been some talk of an extrusion of an area university going into this building, which would inject a desperately needed dose of Birkenstock-shod, nightlife loving college students supporting la dolce vita downtown. But then, wasn't there a story this April that the building had been bought and would house office, restaurants, delis and cafes? Magnifique!