New Wheeling Preservationists Come Together
WHEELING - From obtaining vintage wood flooring to applying for grants, the growing group of Wheeling residents rehabbing historic houses in the Friendly City gathered to share information, anecdotes and tips on their restoration efforts.
The group, dubbed the "New Wheeling Preservationists," gathered at the Friends of Wheeling headquarters on Main Street to obtain general information about historic house ownership provided by the Friends of Wheeling and connect with other historic homeowners in the area.
More than 20 historic homeowners who came to Wheeling from 10 states attended Wednesday night's meeting. The common factor among all Wheeling transplants present is they moved to the city specifically to rehabilitate a historic house. Wheeling natives, who were also beginning their restoration projects, were also present.
"We thought it would be a good idea for these people who are just now getting into rehabbing to meet other like-minded people and appreciate the problems and joys of rehabbing an old house," Friends of Wheeling president Jeanne Finstein said on Wednesday.
In addition to commiserating with each other about the highs and lows of rehabbing, the meeting also served as a place for attendees to gather information and resources about historic house rehabilitation provided by the Friends of Wheeling.
"Most of the people here tonight have contacted Friends of Wheeling, which connected us with them and pointed them to various resources," Feinstein said. "The question most attendees have asked us is, 'Is my house on the National Register Register of Historic Places?' We can help get them registered, and we prepare a house history for them."
Friends of Wheeling board member Greg Smith said the gathering would also provide homeowners with various resources to aid in the physical aspect of their renovation project. He noted it was "difficult" to find contractors in the area for rehabilitation projects. FOW members could help connect attendees with contractors who perform brick, window and other restoration work.
"We're trying to put the folks here tonight in touch with those contractors because you don't just get a regular contractor for a historic house," Smith added. "A regular contractor will want to put a new vinyl window in or another type of new replacement versus a historic contractor who will help restore the window to its original condition."
FOW board member and Wheeling Heritage board member Jay Frey added that the FOW could also connect attendees with financial resources to aid in the restoration. He noted the group has a loan guarantee program with WesBanco. If they need a loan for their project, a resident can apply for up to $25,000 to provide "the collateral" for purchasing or rehabbing a home to obtain the prime interest rate.
Though the information provided by the FOW would aid attendees in their rehabilitation projects, Finstein noted the event served a dual purpose as a networking opportunity for rehabbers new to the area.
"We have people from Texas who may not know anyone here who may meet someone else who came to Wheeling from Texas tonight to also rehab a house," Finstein said. "They'll start talking to each other, learn that their house has the same problem and share how they fixed it."
The exact scenario described by Finstein played out between two couples in attendance at Wednesday's meeting. Texas transplants Shaun and Jamie Viles found themselves asking Mississippi transplants Lane and Carmel Sanders many questions regarding rehabilitation as the couples lived only a few streets away from each other in historic houses on Wheeling Island.
"We live a couple of streets down from Lane and Carmel so we've met with them and other Friends of Wheeling members, which has been a great help," Shaun Viles said. "The community we've found here has been amazing while trying to do something as complicated as rehabbing a house from the 1880s in an area we're completely new to."
The Sanders family also found camaraderie in Wheeling among local preservation groups. The couple became involved in cemetery preservation work in the area and found themselves "throwing ideas back and forth" with FOW members while fixing tombstones regarding their 1880s house.
"We're more involved in Wheeling than any community we've ever lived in," noted Carmel Sanders.
"It's easier to get involved here," Lane Sanders added. "All you have to do is say, 'Hey, that sounds interesting,' and before you know it, you're on an email list and involved."
Russ McGregor, who moved to Wheeling from California in 2021 with his family to rehabilitate a house on Chaplin Street, said he learned why Wheeling was called the Friendly City through becoming involved with the local historic preservation community.
"Years and years ago, my wife and I were talking about buying an old Victorian house somewhere in Texas or another place like that," McGregor recalled. "I had been to Wheeling many times as a kid, and when I brought my wife to visit, we ended up in North Wheeling. All these super nice people we met told us to walk up and down the streets in North Wheeling and look at the historic houses. We came across this house on Chapline Street and thought, 'This is exactly what we've wanted.'"
McGregor described becoming "pen pals" with Finstein before purchasing the Chapline Street house and moving to Wheeling. He noted that Finstein would visit and take pictures of the historic house for the McGregors to look at before they moved.
"My daughters moved here with us to help rehab the house, and they've met a wonderful group of friends," McGregor added. "They've really integrated themselves into Wheeling, and my wife and I have, too."