Louisville, Ohio, is a suburb of Canton, and is a mere 116 miles away from downtown Wheeling, but Steve Coon was unaware of the city’s wealth of history and coinciding architecture until his company was hired to address the aging and deteriorating façade of the Capitol Theatre.
Coon, the owner of Coon Restoration and Sealant, joined Dr. John Johnson Friday to announce the development of 128 loft apartments in the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel headquarters on Market Street in downtown Wheeling. The estimated cost of the project is $30 million, establishing the housing development as the single largest private sector investment in the history of the Friendly City.
The Health Plan had set the standard with the construction of its $20 million headquarters two years ago in the 1100 block of downtown Wheeling, a project that brings as many as 400 employees to the downtown five days per week. The Wheeling-Pitt Lofts, however, are expected to welcome more than 200 new residents to live in a 144,000 square-foot structure, where more than 400 people once were employed.
“Steve’s first experience with the city of Wheeling was when the CVB hired him and his company for the stabilization and improvement of the façade of the Capitol Theatre,” O’Brien explained. “The process he and his employees did was amazing to me, and the theatre has never looked better.
“It was the first time he had visited Wheeling, and during that time of the project he discovered the other great buildings that we have in our downtown,” he explained. “And that started the ball rolling.”
People Are People
O’Brien’s job involves attracting tourism to the city of Wheeling, and before the pandemic the Wheeling CVB was experiencing a lot of success in doing so.
Whether the visitors are here for a week-long conference at Wilson Lodge in Oglebay or for a weekend venture to Centre Market and Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, O’Brien and his staff have drawn as many as four million tourists annually to the Friendly City.
Although the Wheeling-Pitt Lofts will be residential, O’Brien still is excited because where people live, commerce grows.
“The Wheeling-Pitt Lofts project is one that will bring even more people to downtown Wheeling, and that likely will lead to some new businesses opening in the future. The private sector is pretty good with following where the people go to work and live,” O’Brien said. “But with 128 new units in the downtown, there will be an increase in foot traffic for sure, but this also means those folks won’t be leaving downtown Wheeling when the workday is over.”
The Vagabond Kitchen is located close by on the corner of 11th and Market streets, and Tito’s Sloppy Doggs, Tacoholix, and the Panda Chinese Restaurant are a short walk north, and O’Brien is confident other eateries will take a harder look at downtown Wheeling knowing a more permanent client base is possible.
“Plus, once the streetscape is completed, the downtown will be ready for development, and that’s something that hasn’t happened in a lot of years,” he said. “I know the Wheeling-Pitt project was talked about for a couple of years, but now that people know it’s going to move forward, there’s a lot of excitement in the city. I know we’re excited because that puts more than 200 people within walking distance of the theatre, and that means there’s a chance for us to attract more to the programming we have there.”
Continued Preservation
Before Coon Restoration was called to town to address the Capitol’s front façade, O’Brien guided crews to refurbish the interior of the 93-year-old venue, one that has served as the home of Jamboree USA and now the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. Fire suppression systems were added, a fire escape was constructed, and new LED lighting that was added.
The venue’s roof was also replaced in 2017, and the basement dressing room areas have been refurbished as well.
But O’Brien explained that maintenance on the theatre is an ongoing process because, well, it did open in 1928.
“I asked Steve Coon after the announcement was made about the Wheeling-Pitt Lofts if the Capitol’s façade was his first in Wheeling, and he confirmed to me that it was, and he told me how amazed he was with the inventory of historical structures here,” O’Brien said. “We also talked about future fundraisers for the continued preservation of the Capitol Theatre, and he told me that he would be happy to come to speak in support of our efforts.
“We know now the positive impact the reopening of the Capitol Theatre has had on our downtown,” he added. “Because of the pandemic, the theatre hasn’t been open since March, but we’re confident that once we are allowed to welcome people back in, we will see that economic impact return to the downtown.”
