Architect Jim King works to preserve the old for the new

Originally from Charleston, King moved to Shepherdstown more than two years ago. He said he always had an interest in history and wanted to work to preserve its structures where he could.

“This area is so rich in history,” he said. 

The Mills Group, which handles commercial as well as residential projects, worked with other architects like the Gensler team on the Hill Top House Hotel in Harpers Ferry. The work included 3D imaging of the structure and investigating data collected. King has been directly involved with other major renovations taking place on the rooms of the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown. 

In the past, King has worked on such projects as the reconstruction of the state’s oldest covered bridge in Philippi, West Virginia, after the bridge nearly burned down in 1989. He was involved with work on the rebuilding of the dome of the West Virginia State House in Charleston. He also participated in the renovations to West Virginia University’s Woodburn Hall in Morgantown, one of the oldest buildings on the university’s campus. 

He said one of his most interesting assignments was turning a laundromat in Charleston into law offices. “These have been great projects,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot.”

King has a long career in the architectural field. Before joining the Mills Group, he was director of facilities management at Shepherd University where, among his duties, he was responsible for the overall operations of Shepherd’s physical facilities, as well as serving as liaison with architects, engineers and contractors providing services to the university. 

He was director of facilities and sustainability at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission in Charleston since 2010. There he managed construction projects at state universities involving sustainability and energy efficiency. Prior to being at the policy commission he was a professor and facilities director at the Bridgemont Community and Technical College in Montgomery. 

His education includes a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Marshall University and a master’s degree in architecture from Virginia Tech.

King is recognized as a historical architect by the West Virginia Department of Culture and History’s Historic Preservation Office. That recognition springs from his extensive work on a long line of historical structures.

“I think it’s important to preserve history in whatever form it takes from buildings to battlefields,” he said. “Older structures are hard to replicate. They were made stronger. I’m concerned with energy efficiency in older structures, too.”

Locally, King is a new member of the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission. The commission is seeking funding for repairs to the Duffields Depot, the oldest surviving combined freight and passenger railroad station in the country on the Baltimore & Ohio line. The little station located on Melvin Road, near the Duffields commuter station, has had some repairs done to it, including a new roof.

“We’re always looking for grants,” he said.

King said he originally became interested in being an architect after hearing about the field from a family friend.

“I saw what he did with drawings. My interest waxed and waned then I decided to do it,” he said.

Ultimately, whether a building is good or bad architecturally “is pretty self-evident. You can see how someone may have tried to build something, but then quit. Beauty is also in the eye of the beholder. Some people like classic architecture. Some people like modern,” he said.

Architecture isn’t the only interest for King. On his own, he is working to do what he can to improve the environment by eliminating the dumping of glass in landfills by recycling it. He learned about glass grinding after doing research about a man in New Zealand who was helping bars and restaurant owners dispose of their bottles about 10 years ago to address beach erosion. 

His glass recycling equipment grinds glass items down to sand, which can be sifted and then used in gardens. He has some customers who leave their glass items at different pick up locations. He hopes to expand his recycling efforts at some point in the future.