Architect Chosen for CVB’s Gateway Center Project in Downtown Wheeling
Derek Redd Trending
WHEELING -- Desmone Architects will lead the design, engineering and site development of the proposed Wheeling Gateway Center, to be built where the former Wheeling Inn currently stands.
The Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau announced Tuesday afternoon that Desmone was selected from a group of three finalists including Mills Group and Vridian. Desmone received the highest score from the interview team, the CVB announcement stated, followed by Mills Group, then Vridian.
Desmone already has one Wheeling project in the works, renovating the 1400 block of Market Street in conjunction with real estate development company Tipping Point. Tipping Point was hired through Wheeling Heritage to oversee the Gateway Center plans. Tipping Point President Jim Ambrose is the former director of business development at Desmone.
Wheeling CVB Executive Director Frank O'Brien said Tuesday that Desmone has been notified that it is the pick for the project, and contract negotiations for the project have yet to be completed.
Those contract details will be made public once they are finished, O'Brien added.
O'Brien said in the announcement that all three finalists offered impressive proposals for the project, but Desmone ultimately stood out.
"The Desmone team proposed a project manager that led the Pike's Peak Visitor's Center, which is 14,000 feet in altitude, and nationally recognized as one of the most visited mountains in Colorado," he said in the announcement. "With tourism as one of the primary cornerstone's of our mission, we are excited to bring insights and lessons learned from Colorado's tourism strategies into our project. We intend to make the state's first visitor experience in the northern part of West Virginia one of the greatest success stories."
O'Brien said that representatives from the CVB, Wheeling Heritage, Wheeling city and Ohio County governments and the Regional Economic Development Partnership conducted interviews with the three finalists Oct. 17.
The finalists were evaluated on overall project methodology, proposed key milestones, schedule, communication plan and overall capacity to lead the project's design, engineering and site development. Following the interviews, the interview team went off individually to record their scores, then came back together to discuss their rankings.
"The Desmone project team demonstrated a breadth of experience in establishing visitor's experiences and important complementary revenue-generating uses for nationally-recognized places like the Andy Warhol Museum, the Heinz History Center, and the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum," Wheeling Heritage Executive Director Scott Schenerlein said in the announcement.
The CVB bought the old Wheeling Inn in January for $1.7 million to tear it down and build the Wheeling Gateway Center in its place.
The estimated budget for the project is expected to be between $13-$16 million.
Once the contract is completed, the project team will hold community meetings to gain public input on the project. An additional request for proposal to demolish and remediate the Wheeling Inn property will be released at a later date.