An Inclusive West Virginia Bar Keeps All Customers at Eye Level

When it came to designing the world’s first accessible hotel, the team behind Schoolhouse Hotel, the Disability Opportunity Fund, had plenty of challenges. Design solutions for the property in White Sulphur Springs, W.V. include stairs that convert to a lift and motion-activated doors. 

But one in particular was at the bar inside The Varsity Club, the hotel’s restaurant. It was easy enough to create wide aisles for wheelchairs, but designers took inclusivity one step further by installing sloped floors behind the bar so bartenders are at eye level with guests—whether they’re sitting on stools or in wheelchairs. 

“Having an accessible space for all people includes everything from the small details like being at eye level with a bartender to the big things like having a roll-in shower in guest rooms,” says Genny Freiman, the fund’s COO.

The restaurant was built from the ground up, and poured concrete allowed for the sloping effect. Contractors then placed the bar around the concrete with flooring laid atop it; the area where the bartender stands sits just a few inches below the main floor level. 

The enhanced bar design also didn’t affect the project cost, says Frieman, but greatly improved the guest experience. 

“We have never seen [anything like] it before,” she says. “The DOF team and our architects had weekly meetings, and some included talking with people with disabilities and caretakers. That is where the majority of our unique ideas came from.” 
 

Caroline Eubanks is an award-winning writer and author from Atlanta.