photo by: Emma Delk

Brothers Doug Carl, left, and Mike Carl, co-owners of the Bridge Tavern & Grill, are excited to see new life and excitement brought to downtown Wheeling.

WHEELING — The culmination of three years of indoor and outdoor updates to the Bridge Tavern & Grill became open to the public Friday night during the restaurant’s first dinner service.

On the additions to the establishment, co-owner Doug Carl emphasized that he and his brother, co-owner Mike Carl, wanted to “mesh the old with the new” while transforming the tavern.

The new comes in brighter wall paneling, increased window size and a new lighting system. An interior mural painted by local artist Vondell Bell depicting the Suspension Bridge now stretches across one of the walls of the restaurant.

“We contacted Bell to create the mural, then attached a piece of the original cable from the suspension bridge, so it all blends in and gives it some context,” explained Doug Carl.

“We added the cable to the mural because we think it highlights that piece of history right across from us.”

The old can be found on the walls of the restaurant, with the decor that adorned the tavern before updates hung back up.

While creating the new elements of the restaurant, old elements were uncovered. Doug Carl explained during updates, they discovered exposed brick, which is now highlighted in the new form of the restaurant.

“Our focus on the inside from the get-go was to try to keep it the warm, intimate, cozy Bridge atmosphere that always was,” said Doug Carl. “I think we’ve done that, plus updating where needed.”

The outside of the restaurant also received major attention in the form of a guitar-shaped LED sign and a mural paying tribute to Wheeling’s musical past painted by Drew Gonchoff added to the exterior.

“The other night when the new lights were being tested at the Suspension Bridge, I was standing on the corner, and I could see our vision come to life for a second,” added Doug Carl. “There’s light here from the sign and the bridge, plus the art on the wall. We can really begin to see the transformation.”

These updates were planned carefully by the brothers, who wanted the final product of the restaurant to serve as a hub for activity in their corner of Wheeling. With the Capitol Theatre across from their building, Doug Carl explained they wanted their restaurant to reflect the entertainment present in the city.

Inside their restaurant, entertainment will be reflected outward to the city in the biggest interior update to the tavern. What was once the corner entrance of the restaurant has been transformed into a stage, with windows surrounding the platform.

“When passing through Main Street, in your car or on foot, you’ll be able to see a band in the window,” explained Doug Carl. “To us, it just signifies the activity and life happening in downtown Wheeling.”

Mike Carl emphasized the collaborative effort undertaken to transform the establishment, from the electricians and plumbers to the Triton Construction workers outside fixing up the sidewalk.

“Everyone involved in the project treated the building like it was their own, we’ve had many good folks work here,” Mike Carl noted. “They believed in this project, and they had fun working here.”

The restaurant serves as a microcosm for the updates coming to the city, with the brothers excited for the future of their corner of the city once the Streetscape project has been completed.

“The transformation that happened here is about to happen for the rest of downtown,” added Doug Carl. “Everybody’s tired of the construction, I get it, but it’s a necessary part.

“In a year and a half, two years, when it’s all completely done, you’ll see more businesses, more patrons and more visitors in downtown Wheeling.”