Despite the tumultuous year 2020 has proved to be, discussions have continued with the city of Wheeling concerning the possible renovation of the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Building in the downtown area.
City Manager Bob Herron confirmed that he has remained in contact with the building owner and with Steve Coon, the owner of Coon Restoration out of Louisville, Ohio.
“The project is still alive, but there’s been little activity because of what has been going on this year,” Herron explained. “But the developer and the owner of the building have continued working on the due diligence in order to obtain the financing for the project. I know that they are very close to that goal right now.
“It still is an active project, and there has been movement on the adjacent properties where a parking structure would be constructed,” he said. “A parking structure is part of the package that would make up this project, but the biggest part of it is the renovation of the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Building into market-rate apartments, and there would be more than 100 of those apartments plus some commercial space on the street level.”
The Parking Problem
For more than a year, a parking garage has been a part of the Wheeling-Pitt project, and progress has been made with four adjacent parcels where a new parking garage would be constructed for residential parking for the potential tenants.
The Regional Economic Development Partnership, doing business as the Ohio Valley Area Development Corp., has purchased four properties including two large buildings along Market Street.
“The Ohio Valley Area Development Corp. has acquired the Chris Miller building, the former Chase Bank Building, and the vacant lot and the parking lot right next to it,” Herron reported. “Those buildings are in good condition so if the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel project doesn’t move forward, those buildings can be marketed and renovated.
“There is a decision to be made concerning what size of a parking structure is going to be needed,” he said. “That’s when we will know if all of that space where the buildings are will be needed. There is a chance that the Chris Miller building would remain, but that is still in the design discussion. I know the parking structure would have a minimum of 300 spaces. Whether the developer believes there needs to be more is yet to be determined.”
If one of the structures were to remain, it would be the building that housed Chris Miller Furniture.
“A lot depends on the footprint of the properties and how economical and feasible it would be to build up with the parking structure,” Herron explained. “But with that said, we do know that at least 300 spaces would be needed if the project does move forward.
“How the parking garage and the building itself would be connected has not yet been determined, but there has been a discussion with the developer about that very topic,” he said. “Right now, there’s not a timeframe that’s been determined, but I do know that the Boury Lofts still has a waiting list for new tenants, so that tells me that the interest in living in the downtown area is still very high.”
Most Historical
Henry Schmulbach financed the construction of the Schmulbach Building as it was originally named, and he operated his brewery business from the top floors of the structure. As the tallest building in downtown Wheeling, the 12-story structure has a vast first floor that has housed a dining area, a news stand, and the mail room.
The construction began in 1904, and it was completed in 1907, but only seven years later the state of West Virginia adopted prohibition. Schmulbach passed away just one year later.
The Wheeling Steel Corp. purchased the building in the 1940s, according to the online archives made available by the Ohio County Public Library, and once Wheeling Steel merged with Pittsburgh Steel in 1968, the structure’s name has remained the same. The last occupant was RG Steel that operated on only two of the 12 floors, but those employees vacated once the company filed for and received federal bankruptcy protections in 2013.
For more than a century, though, the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Building had been the home of several businesses, including the former L.S. Good company.
“There is a lot of history there; that’s for sure,” the city manager said. “That is one of the reasons why so many people do hope this re-development moves forward because not only is it historical in nature, but it is the tallest building, and it sits pretty much in the middle of our downtown.
“The idea is to have more people in the downtown beyond 5 p.m. so that the businesses that are there now can benefit, and it may also attract new businesses to some of the buildings that are now vacant,” he added. “If this project comes to fruition, it would be a very good thing, I believe, for downtown Wheeling.”
