The sixth floor “penthouse” at the Boury Lofts features this unique ceiling element. Woda Group officials Erica Pettrey and Daniel Archer enjoy the view.

WHEELING –A wide variety of tenants, including hospital workers, hockey players and senior citizens, will call the corner of 16th and Main streets home, as the Boury Lofts complex nears completion with the majority of its 73 units already leased.

“We see a trend all around the country of people wanting to live in downtown city areas again,” David Cooper, co-owner of the Woda Group Inc., the project’s developer, said. “We knew there was a growing demand for this in Wheeling.”

Cooper and Woda Group Regional Manager Erica Pettrey said tenants began moving into the approximately 120-year-old building in December.

“Our last construction people are finishing up the sixth floor,” Cooper said. “We’re close to having it done.”

Throughout its history, the six-floor structure served as a warehouse, a grocery company, a biscuit factory and a trucking firm. Numerous beams, brick walls, and even railroad tracks that have been used at the building throughout its history have been worked into the apartment complex, along with the highly visible water tower on the roof.

The Woda Group will host an open house event from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday for the Boury Lofts, as well as the Stone Center Lofts that are located inside the Stone Center at 1025 Market St.

There are 22 apartments on the top two floors of the Stone Center, which also incorporates elements of the former Stone & Thomas department store that occupied the building. The Boury project is much larger with 73 units on six floors, however.

Cooper said 63 of the Boury apartments can be leased to the general public, while the remaining 10 are reserved for the Wheeling Nailers hockey team by the Regional Economic Development Partnership, which owns the franchise.

As of Friday morning, nine of the units remained available for occupation.

Single-bedroom apartments lease for the average price of $829 per month, while two-bedroom units will vary between $999 and $1,059 monthly. The size of a one-bedroom apartment is about 700 square feet, while larger units are up to 1,380 square feet.

Units feature on-site washers and dryers, stainless steel appliances and quartz countertops. A cafe and other community spaces are provided for residents, while nearby parking is also provided.

Cooper said water and sewer services are included in the unit price, while electricity, internet, cable and other utilities are the tenants’ responsibility.

“It’s a really unique project that we’re really proud of,” Cooper said. “It is very hard to create the kind of feeling you get here with a totally new building.”

Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott said the project’s success confirms his belief that a demand for “market-rate” housing in the downtown area is strong.

“The Boury Lofts project is one of the most exciting developments to happen in downtown Wheeling in decades, and I expect the infusion of new tenants with disposable income into our downtown to … support additional investments in restaurants, nightclubs and, hopefully, a grocery store in the months and years to come,” Elliott said.

“I fully expect additional housing development downtown in the years ahead,” he added.