ELKINS, W.Va. - s4story -- The Railyard Event & Conference Center marked its grand opening Tuesday, Sept. 15, with an invitation-only dinner honoring the many partners who carried the $11.6 million project from concept to completion.

Guests gathered in the venue's ballroom for a plated dinner prepared by The Railyard's culinary team and toured the 28,000-square-foot facility, built on the former site of the city's iconic railroad roundhouse. The evening brought together the public agencies, funding partners, design and construction teams, elected officials, local businesses and community members whose work over several years made the venue possible.

The Railyard, a project of the Randolph County Development Authority managed by Taylor Hospitality, opened to the public in July 2026 and has since hosted weddings, conferences, banquets, community events and a full season of live entertainment on The Railyard Stage.

The 28,000-square-foot venue pairs a 9,374-square-foot conference center with banquet capacity for 588 guests, a professional-grade performance theater seating 416, and flexible pre-function and gathering spaces. It also serves as the home of Ascend West Virginia, the state's remote-worker initiative, and sits steps from the Elkins Depot Welcome Center, Mountain Rail excursions and the walkable shops, hotels, and restaurants of downtown Elkins.

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Taylor Hospitality was selected to operate the venue and staffed it locally ahead of the July opening, filling roles across event services, culinary, food and beverage, and operations. The company also manages The Tygart Hotel and Oxley House Cocktail Bar & Restaurant in downtown Elkins, giving visiting conference and wedding groups a connected downtown experience.

"We have had two months to show what this venue can do, so Tuesday was not an introduction. It was a thank-you," said Shane Jones, general manager of The Railyard Event & Conference Center. "Every wedding we host, every conference that fills downtown hotel rooms and every night the theater lights come up traces back to the partnerships that built this place. Our job now is to keep earning that."

"Taylor Hospitality was brought in to operate this venue, but the reason it works is that Randolph County spent years building something worth operating," said Gregg Krepps, vice president of hospitality for Taylor Hospitality. "Our team gets to stand in a room that a whole community paid for and believed in. That is not a responsibility we take lightly, and Tuesday night was a good reminder of who we are accountable to."

The Railyard's calendar continues through the fall and holiday season with weddings, conferences, community events and live entertainment. For event inquiries, venue tours and booking information, visit therailyardwv.com or contact sales.railyard@taylorhospitality.com.