The Campaign...

A "New Foundation" for the Rogers House

The House

Built in 1852, the Rogers House was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and is now also on the Historic Downtown Morgantown Walk, place #24. The house was occupied by three generations of Rogers family members and their spouses, the last of whom was Brad Laidley, who lived there until his death in 1994.

Initially, the Rogers House was donated to the Loyalty Permanent Endowment of the WVU Alumni Association. In 1991, the Westminster Foundation of West Virginia purchased the house with monies from from the Bicentennial Fund of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for use as the Campus Ministry Center.

A condition of the purchase was that the University Christian Council, the governing body of the center, establish a property management committee and create an endowment to pay for the future upkeep of the property. Over 200 people and organizations contributed more than $200,000 to that original endowment.

The Ministry

The Campus Ministry Center at the Rogers House presently houses the campus ministries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Southern Baptist Convention, and the United Methodist Churches. These ministries provide services to students, faculty, and staff at WVU as well as serving as a link between the community, churches, and the university. Pastors teach WVU courses, serve on community and university committees, and conduct programs in the residence halls. Pastors also provide personal counseling, Bible studies, mission trips, prayer groups, fellowship, and worship.

The Rogers House is also the headquarters of Mon County Habitat for Humanity, Inc. Through volunteer labor, management expertise, and donations of money, materials, and land, Habitat builds homes with the help of the homeowners. The homes are then sold to the partner families at no profit on an interest-free mortgage. Building four houses each year, MCHFH provides affordable housing for God's people. To date, twenty-eight houses have been completed and four are under construction.

The Challenge

While interest from the original endowment has supported routine maintenance and planned upgrades to the Rogers House since 1991, 2004 some serious problems with the foundation of the building were identified.

A sagging office floor led to the discovery of a massive crack in a key structural beam which was weakened by excessive moisture in the basement. The beam was replaced. A contractor identified the excessive moisture as coming from clogged and cracked drains as well as from multiple sources of water draining toward the home's foundation. Correction of the water problem required regrading of the surrounding yard as well as regrading and repaving the driveway. A second storm sewer system was installed to facilitate drainage on the back side of the house.

Installation of the new structural beam also lead to the discovery of a leak in the furnace. Further inspection identified leaks in gas heaters in individual offices, none of which was determined to be up to code. The problem was considered so serious that the utility company turned off the gas to the house until repairs were made to the main gas line this fall. The University Christian Council has accepted a bid to have the entire heating system replaced in the coming weeks.

Cumulatively, the simultaneous "foundation" problems have far exceeded the portion of the original endowment allowed yearly for maintenance of the Rogers House, and the University Christian Council was forced to borrow $80,000 to pay for these on-going repairs.

This fund-raising drive is a challenge to bring the infrastructure of the Rogers House up to code so it can remain on the Historic Downtown Morgantown Walk and also serve as a safe working environment for the Campus Ministry Center personnel and those they serve. We hope you can contribute to this effort to ensure the integrity of the Rogers House for future decades.

Tax-deductible donations to the Rogers House Preservation Fund may be a single gift or a pledge over a three-year period.

The Leaders

Campaign leaders for the "New Foundation" drive are:

Vaughn L. Kiger, Chair	James R. McCartney
William B. Armistead	David Z. Morgan
Stephen L. Douglas	Thomas P. Rogers
Joel M. Hannah	Marjorie Singleton
Harry B. Heflin	Guy and Pat Stewart
Kenneth E. Kincaid	Thomas H. VanLandingham
Hugh and Helen Lindsay

All members of the University Christian Council have made pledges toward the "New Foundation" campaign.

If you would like to print this pledge card, please click HERE

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Pledge Card

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