The public bus was either 40 cents or 60 cents when I was too young to drive myself to Kelly-Mike’s or National Record Mart, but paper boys usually always had some change left from collecting the $4.33 monthly subscription to the Wheeling newspapers.
It was the Mount de Chantal route that picked up the neighborhood kids in Woodsdale and took the teenagers up and over Wheeling Hill and into bustling downtown no matter the day of the week. That is why these days, older Wheeling residents clamor on about the store-after-store atmosphere and the crowded walkways along Main and Market streets during the Christmas shopping season, and also they bemoan the fact that only one privately finance construction project has taken place between 10th and 16th streets since 1986.
But it is true. It is not the same as it was well before the 1970s and through the mid-1990s. There is no longer the battle of the two double-decker burgers on 12th and Market streets; there now are only three banks in the downtown instead of one on every corner; and the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Building continues to rest empty instead of being the tallest and most populated office building in the area.
Wanna buy a pair of men’s boxer shorts? Better hope CVS has an aisle for that.
Fries with That?
OK, so now we realize those decisions were not the best for our health, but who cared what was in that sauce at Louis’, or about the fat content in the burgers at the Hamburger Inn, the Bridge Tavern, Bill’s Hamburger, or at the counter at G.C. Murphy? Etc. was the good stuff, sure, but Elby’s remains legendary today, and there are many memories surrounding the Tea Room on the bottom level of Stone & Thomas, as well.
Pappas Beef House is unforgettable, too, and so is the bar food served at the Sportsman along Market Street. Even the Club Tower served lunch as did most establishments during the day, but Ernie’s Cook & Bottle featured lunch and dinner services next door to McDonald’s.
And, at one time, Undo’s was inside the McLure Hotel, the Fort Henry Club offered food service to its membership, the 12th Street Grill was always busy for lunch, and most evenings the Diamond Club had the best hot sausage sandwich east of the Sons’ of Italy in Bellaire.
Tinsel Town
The musical movie “Grease” was released in 1978, and it played “Held Over” for more than two months at the Victoria Theatre, one of two that remain in downtown Wheeling once the Court on Chapline and Coronet on Market were closed. It seemed when all three were operating in the ’70s and ’80s, the Court Theatre would offer mostly G-rated films; the Victoria would lease PG; and the Coronet showed the R-rated flicks.
The cost for a movie depended on age, so it stung a bit when the price for 12-and-over climbed to $1.25. The Court had the best buttered popcorn, the Victoria had the saltiest, and the Coronet had the most popping-open beer cans inside since the legal drinking age then was 18 and not today’s 21.
Now, the Capitol Music Hall was all about country music and cow bells, and Main Street was literally lined with motor coaches from Canada. Some downtown retail businesses remained open for those two-show Saturday nights, but others like Stone & Thomas and Kaufman’s closed their doors despite such close proximity. Jamboree USA was a big deal back in the day and was a huge draw for a relatively small town.
Commerce – Then and Now
Horne’s. L.S. Good. Stones and Crones. Murphy’s. The Army-Navy Store. Becker’s Hardware. Kiddings. The Men’s Shoppe. J.C. Penney. Sears.
Black’s Music. Nick’s Music. C.A. House Music.
Imperial Display. All of them, including, of course, the Christmas store and the teachers’ store.
And, oh, the shoes. Good God, the shoes.
Downtown Wheeling once was a treat for folks as far away as Steubenville and New Martinsville during the month of December, and that was because there was far more than just a Murphy’s on Main Street. After parking at the Wharf Parking Garage, it was a day of adventure for the children because they got to see those Christmas present catalogs come to life and even speak to a Talking Christmas Tree.
But now, retail is limited to CVS, a 7Eleven, one jewelry store, a wig store, a couple of coffee shops, and whatever it is they sell at Market Street News, so many visitors to the Friendly City simply slide down to Centre Market for their antique and boutique shopping.
Right Down the Middle
From 14th Street to the end of Market Plaza, the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival closed Market Street for one weekend in July. There were stages on each end of the event, and the main stage was on 12th Street in front of Peking Garden and Ernie’s.
Dawson’s Meat Market sold cans of beer out of a small walk-up window, and up and down people walked from one end to the other so they could see friends and family they knew would be there, too. It’s been that kind of event since the mid-1980s and remained that way after it was moved to Water Street and Heritage Port nearly 20 years ago.
Of course, Wheeling’s entire festival season was cancelled this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic, so the Italian Festival was erased with the rest.
Parking Lots or Potential?
Re-purposing buildings definitely has taken place in the downtown the past 20 years with Stone & Thomas (the Stone Center), Wheeling Stamping (Orrick), Industronics (Tacoholix), Banov’s (Jewelry & Watch Co.), Boury Inc. (DiCarlo’s), the Boury Center (Century Plaza), Thom McAn (Vagabond Kitchen), and McDonald’s is now UniGlobe Travel.
But many structures have been demolished after years of ownership neglect or following a fire, and the most recent was 1056 Main St. after the three-story structure sat rotting for more than a few years. Others are vacant, too, including the former Security National Bank, Chris Miller Furniture, Absure Tower, Posin’s Jewelry, Security Travel, Arthur Treacher’s, and Spic & Span Cleaners.
So yes, it is true. It is not the same. Never will be. But what it can become remains to be seen.
Photos for this article were archived by James Thorton, who has published several volumes of history on the city of Wheeling, and those interested in purchasing one of them can do so by contacting him at cre8m@comcast.net or visit the Creative Impressions website. The books can be purchased at the Wheeling Heritage Center, Kroger on Mount de Chantal Road, Miklas Meat Market, Nail City Records, the UPS Store in the Washington Avenue Plaza, VC Wares at Centre Market, Bower’s Decorating at The Highlands, and on the website www.wheelinghistory.net.
