He likes the pizza, the fish sandwiches, and he digs the lunch vibe at Later Alligator, but Steve Coon admits he takes few breaks when in the city of Wheeling.
He’s busy, that’s why, and he’s focused on the meticulous management of the transformation of the Schmulbach Building in the middle of downtown Wheeling. The 12-floor structure, once the tallest building in West Virginia and the former business headquarters of Henry Schmulbach’s brewery and for the German Bank of Wheeling, has been vacant since 2012 when RG Steel suddenly shuttered operations.
The Wheeling-Pitt Lofts, an initiative announced in 2019 by Coon and his business partner Dr. John Johnson, has realized pandemic-related delays but now is moving forward in full force. The developer has changed his approach, though, thanks to the economic impacts connected to increased interest rates.
“I know people have questioned the progress on this project, and that’s fine, but I hope those people know that right now we’re working on a lot the structural issues and on the interior demo, and that’s not something people will see much,” Coon explained. “Right now, we have scaffolding on several sides of the building while we’re replacing bricks, but those guys are hidden by the H-shape of the building.
“It’s taken our guys two years just to clear the building because when we first walked in here, there were thousands of desks and filing cabinets filled with paperwork. It was a heavy lift, I can tell you that, but we are finally on the second floor with that part of this project while other workers have been on the top floors removing walls and get those level ready for the building’s new interior design,” he said. “The local people will see the general construction on this project get started a little later this summer.”
By the time the RG Steel bankruptcy took place more than a decade ago, most of the riverbank buildings owned by the once-mighty Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel had fallen silent. The corporation, founded in 1920, operated in 11 different locations and employed more than 10,000 steelworkers in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, but demand began to decline once imported steel proved more popular.
The Schmulbach Building became widely known as the “Wheeling-Pitt Building” once the company purchased the structure in 1921. Access Infrastructure, a company owned by Dr. Johnson, purchased the building in 2013.
“The pandemic did delay a lot of things, but we were able to still move forward with the interior demolition. Not only were there desks and filing cabinets, but it really looked like everyone here picked up and left and left behind everything. It was a really weird thing to see,” Coon said. “What has really hurt us are the interest rates and the increases that have taken place over the last couple of years. That’s why we’re going to do this project in phases.”
“I’ve already jumped off the mountain and we’re not going to stop now. We’re not going to go about it the way we typically do, but we’re going to get this building completed and it’s going to be a special project for the city of Wheeling,” he said. “I know some people have questioned whether this was going to happen, but trust me, it’s happening, and the work won’t stop until there’s no more work to do.”
The Wheeling Feeling
The first projected completion date was sometime in 2022, but then a pandemic closed down America.
In January 2021, Coon joined Wheeling leaders to announce the project would move forward, and then in April a Wheeling contingent traveled to Coon’s headquarters in Louisville, Ohio, for an extensive project update.
Coon told Herron, Councilmen Ben Seidler and Chad Thalman, and outgoing mayor, Glenn Elliott, the exact same message: “I’ve already jumped off the mountain and we’re not going to stop now.”
The cost of the project, however, has jumped from $30 million to $45 million.
“But the project still makes sense to me because Wheeling is one of the best cities I’ve ever worked in and that’s because of your city manager, Bob Herron. He has been engaged in this project from the very beginning, and despite the challenges we’ve encountered, Bob has always been right there asking what he can do to help us move forward,” Coon reported. “If we had a Bob Herron in every city we’ve worked in, we would be much more successful. He’s always asked what the city can do to help.
“I’ve worked in over 100 cities doing what we do best, and I would rank Wheeling at the top,” he insisted. “And Bob is A-number-one because they don’t come any better than him as a city manager.”
Instead of 128 one-and two-bedroom apartments, the real number, according to Coon, is closer to 100 lofts that will be market-rate priced. The plan for first-floor retail remains in place, and with the city’s six-story parking garage progressing nearby at the corner of 11th and Market streets, that imperative piece of the puzzle will be in place when Coon completes Phase 1.
“I believe we will attract residents from Pittsburgh and anyone from within 60 miles is going to take a look at this building and the city of Wheeling as a place to live because what’s not to love. These apartments are going to have wonderful views from all sides, and the new normal is people want to live in downtown areas,” Coon said. “They want to find their sense of place in downtown districts, and watching downtown Wheeling grow as we speak is very exciting.
“Yes, we are moving slower than normal, that’s true, but that’s because I am financing a lot of this myself at this point,” he added. “But I’m committed and so is my partner, Dr. John Johnson. The Wheeling-Pitt Lofts building is going to be a great addition to downtown Wheeling.”
