Hotel Thelma revitalizes former Green Book Hotel bringing affordable housing to Bluefield, WV

June 2026 — VCDC is proud to welcome Hotel Thelma Apartments into our lending portfolio, representing an exciting expansion into our West Virginia CDFI lending program.

Developed by Bluefield Arts and Revitalization Corporation (BARC),Hotel Thelma Apartments preserves the historic Hotel Thelma building, a former Green Book property, creating 10 new affordable apartments and a first-floor store front in the city's historic Black community for the first time in decades. VCDC’s lending arm, VCDC Community Lenders, provided a $900,000 loan to help BARC move forward with the adaptive reuse of the building.  

Rehabilitation efforts will revive the legacy of Thelma Stone, a Black female entrepreneur who opened the business as a hotel for Black travelers. Remarkably, despite segregation barriers in the 1940s, Stone obtained a construction loan from Flattop National Bank in Bluefield, and used the proceeds to develop, own, and operate her business, which grew over the years to include a restaurant and a market.  The hotel welcomed iconic artists such as Etta James, Sam Cooke, Little Richard, James Brown, and Tina Turner.  

Over the years, the hotel declined and lacked the funds to be maintained, falling into neglect and disrepair. Hotel Thelma and its history were largely forgotten. During Black History Month in 2022, a local news report featured an interview with Thelma Stone's grandniece who recounted stories from her childhood of spending time with her great aunt at the property. This touching moment encouraged a small group of Bluefield residents, led by the church’s pastor, to restore the building. 

As the project brings 10 affordable apartment homes, a first-floor restaurant, and job opportunities to Bluefield’s East End, BARC anticipates that this innovative project will reignite Thelma Stone’s entrepreneurial spirit and inspire Bluefield Residents to become business owners.  

VCDC CL is proud to be able to assist BARC in bringing this historically significant and much needed project to life. Our low-interest lending products help projects like Hotel Thelma move forward without delays, especially when traditional banks won’t offer the same types of flexible financing.  VCDC additionally provided capacity building funds to this project through our Technical Assistance Program, helping the project attract tax credit investment and move forward during predevelopment.