1400 Block Rehab Takes Major Steps Forward in Wheeling
Eric Ayres/File Trending
WHEELING -- Plans to redevelop historic buildings in the 1400 block of Market Street in downtown Wheeling not only moved to the front burner Tuesday night, but were pushed forward to a point where things are expected to really get cooking in the coming months.
Members of Wheeling City Council approved an ordinance authorizing City Manager Robert Herron to spend a total of $99,312 for various invoices from the companies with which the city has partnered on the long-awaited project. Developer Desmone Architects of Pittsburgh and its project manager, Tipping Point Management Company, have been coordinating aspects of the projects over the past several months. Work on historic tax credit application, architectural and engineering work, predesign and other expenses are being paid through the city’s 2022 Tax Increment Financing (TIF) bond.
City officials have turned up the heat on this project in recent months, and work has been taking place behind the scenes to stabilize some of the structural issues being experienced in parts of the aging row of buildings. Bricks on the upper level of the southernmost building have been falling, causing the city to close a portion of the alley.
Jim Ambrose, president of Tipping Point, told members of council Tuesday night that the company has been working to fix some of these issues before the large-scale transformation of the buildings takes place.
"We actually just received a really favorable price this weekend for the emergency stabilization and remediation of the block," Ambrose said. "As you know, the building took on a lot of water during the summer, and we need to make sure that we sure them up so that as the colder months come and they experience the freeze, they’ll be extra protected and won’t incur any more damage."
Ambrose indicated that officials from Desmone and Tipping Point were in Wheeling all day Tuesday with some of their lending partners, touring the buildings and checking out work taking place around the city to get a better understanding of the local market.
"They’re really excited," Ambrose said, applauding city leaders for their efforts in bringing revitalization to the downtown and other parts of Wheeling. "Your support and your collaboration thus far has been an incredible asset to the project, and I really think that it has a true chance to show not only other historic revitalization projects like this what a public-private partnership could look like for the city of Wheeling, but also for the rest of the state.
"I really think that it’s a great business model for other communities to be able to rehabilitate these significantly important historic structures."
The city of Wheeling acquired the deteriorating historic row of buildings in the 1400 block of Market Street several years ago with the hopes of finding a private investor to help bring a new life to them.
"It’s taken many twists and turns for us to get here," Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott said, noting that members of a prior city council believed it was important for the city to save this row of historic downtown buildings, taking ownership and working to curate a new future for them.
A number of other potential developers have come forward in the past only to bow out on projects that never came to fruition. The mayor said Desmone’s ambitious proposal -- estimated to be around $7 million -- is one that shows great promise.
"It is a challenging historic preservation project, but the hope is we can save these four buildings," the mayor said. "If we save these four buildings … we really keep a block that for many years has been underperforming, and add some life and vibrancy to it."
Ambrose touted the location, noting that if they zoom out on the site plan, the buildings are in the center of an urban footprint that is close to West Virginia Community College, Centre Market, WesBanco Arena and other businesses and attractions in the downtown, East Wheeling and Center Wheeling.
"It really sort of funnels you to that location being sort of at the heart of the city," Ambrose said. "There are four buildings, and they are all historic. The intent on the first level, we want to introduce some sort of 18-hour activation whenever it comes to restaurant and retail type of nightlife."
Additions were made to portions of the buildings over the years. Ambrose said they intend to remove some of those non-historic additions in the rear to create a nice outdoor seating experience along the alley.
"On the upper floors, the intent is to preserve all the historical integrity that we can save to put in some of the most cool, robust apartments you can see," Ambrose said, noting that they planned to use the spaces as AirBnBs for some of the vacant units.
The entities have been working with Wheeling Heritage on the project, and Ambrose said they have continued to lean on Wheeling Heritage’s expertise for ideas to help to preserve history of the once busy block that saw many businesses come and go throughout the years - some legitimate and some, not so much.
"Everybody knows the mob was there at one point," Ambrose said. "We have some cool paraphernalia from racketeering and things that happened there. We want to make some themes in many of the different spaces so that it continues to celebrate the heritage of Wheeling and the history, and create almost an experience in itself for both the locals and for those who are visiting."
The city had once estimated the cost of abatement and demolition of the buildings at $350,000. As part of the city’s original memorandum of understanding with Desmone, the city would invest that sum of money into the redevelopment project instead of putting it toward demolition.
"For more than six years, city council has worked to try to preserve these historic structures," Vice Mayor Chad Thalman said. "I’m happy to see this project taking a step forward and a potential major investment being made by a private developer."