One conversation entertained by Wheeling city officials about the former campus of the Ohio Valley Medical Center has involved the possible use of two of the six buildings for residential purposes.
The East Tower and the former nurse’s residence have been toured by entities that have communicated that intent, according to Kurt Zende, economic development specialist for the city of Wheeling. Zende is responsible for marketing the OVMC campus, consulting and communicating with all developers of potential businesses, and also managing Centre Market.
“We have talked with people who have an interest in developing housing, but at this point I don’t know the realistic level of interest,” he explained. “I know that they are interested because of the prevalence of the historical tax credits in West Virginia, and there is that need for residential for certain markets.
“They could find that the floors are suitable for residential, and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone moves forward with that kind of plan because some of these buildings lend themselves to that kind of future use,” he said. “But I’m not going to tell you that it’s going to be easy because it would take a lot of work.”
The Preservation of History
Some of the buildings on the OVMC campus were constructed between 1964 and 1991, but the original Ohio Valley General Hospital and the nurse’s residence truly are historic and would qualify under the state of West Virginia’s historical tax credit program. The credit was increased two years ago by the state’s Legislature from 15 percent to 25 precent.
That increase, in fact, could be a reason for Coon Restoration to move forward with the transformation of the former headquarters of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel from office building to downtown residential and retail.
“There are a lot of residential experts with a lot of knowledge about historical tax credits who might be able to do something,” Zende said. “And that’s who taking a look at those possibilities, so we’ll see where it goes from here.
“If a residential concept were to move forward on the campus, it would open up opportunities for commerce, too,” he added. “I have no idea how many people are possible, but convenience is the name of the game these days. Do I think it could work? I do, but it depends on how much someone is willing to invest.”
