Unique 1960s ‘Lava House’ in West Virginia for sale again after renovation

FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — One of the most unique houses in West Virginia is back up for sale after a complete update that preserves its Egyptian and Japanese influences but with an added modern flair.

From the coffin-shaped pool, to the built-in stone bathtub, to the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired stained glass windows, this home is definitely “eclectic.”

The “Lava House” was originally built in 1968 by the first female developer in West Virginia, Carol McWilliams, who lived in it herself for several years. Alethea Wise, a real estate broker, house flipper and interior designer with Compass Realty Group , and her husband Ed purchased the property a year ago and decided to give it new life.

Alethea worked with McWilliams on the project to make sure her designs and changes were true to the original design. Wise told 12 News that the home’s original layout was modeled after an Egyptian tomb, so rather than having a hallway with bedrooms, the bedrooms go off in different directions like chambers.

Although Alethea decided to keep most of the original layout, she did remove a bulky pantry in the kitchen and a view-blocking wall in the living room.

As 12 News learned when visiting another of Alethea’s renovations last year , colors, patterns and textures are part of Alethea’s signature style; they are on every surface of the house, but all of them are intentional. For example, the colors in the wallpaper in what is now a casual dining and bar area match the home’s original stained glass.

There are two bedrooms off the living room, along with two bathrooms, but the real showpiece is the master suite, which is hidden behind a secret door disguised as a piece of art. The suite has a full sitting room and open shower room as well as three closets and an attached atrium and garage.

The shower room has mirror windows so that the person using it can see out to the atrium, but no one can see in.

Off the pool area, the home has an additional kitchen, bathroom and a greenhouse. The area between the pool and the main living room originally had a very indoor-outdoor feel and even had gravel floors in some areas.

Upstairs, there is a multi-purpose room with two balconies—one overlooking the pool on the front side of the house and another overlooking the garden and koi ponds on the back side of the house—and its own half bath. The loud animal print wallpaper in that bathroom is part of McWilliams’ original design, and it inspired several of the other wallpapers and prints throughout the house.

The home sits on approximately an acre of land off Fairmont Avenue and is listed for $699,000, which includes all the furnishings and décor. For additional photos, visit the Compass Realty Group listing , and for more information, contact Alethea Wise .

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