Friends of Wheeling Shares City’s Preservation Success Stories

Photo by Eric Ayres

WHEELING - Local historic preservation organization Friends of Wheeling has remained focused on the city’s future by continuing to embrace and celebrate its rich past, and they are working to share that vision with the community - including city leaders.

Last week, members of Wheeling City Council voted unanimously on legislation to award a $628,290.00 contract to Reclaim Company LLC, of Fairmont, W.Va. For the demolition of historic buildings in the block of 14th Street between Water and Main streets downtown.

The removal of these buildings - including structures that have stood in this spot in the heart of downtown before the Civil War and West Virginia’s statehood - will make room for a multimillion-dollar private investment to create a new waterfront complex, complete with a hotel, restaurant, retail spaces and more.

Local historians and others have frowned at the prospect of losing irreplaceable pieces of Wheeling’s history. However, the city’s Historic Landmarks Commission reviewed the proposal and recommended approval of the application to demolish the structures, as funding has been secured for the $58.7 million development and support has been voiced by the city, the state and many in the local business community.

During the council meeting last week when the demolition contract came to a vote, council was not met with protests in opposition to razing the historic buildings. Instead, Friends of Wheeling President Jeanne Finstein spoke before city leaders to showcase examples of how successful preservation efforts can truly make a difference in the Friendly City.

"We’ve recently been saddened when historic buildings have been scheduled for demolition," Finstein said. "But at the same time, we’re very pleased that other Wheeling buildings are being lovingly restored. Friends of Wheeling would like to begin a series to recognized the work of local preservationists by highlighting a few success stories. The first such story features this building - 326 N. Huron St., on Wheeling Island."

Finstein showed city leaders photos of the restored structure from Wheeling Island - one of many historic buildings in town that was given a new life in recent years.

"In 2013, this property was purchased from the state for $200 after no one bid on it for back taxes," she said. "It was on the city’s demolition list at the time. Since then, most of the exterior and the first level have been beautifully restored. Work continues on the rest."

Like all of the old buildings that have remained standing in Wheeling for more than a century, the North Huron Street building boasts more than just interesting architecture. It carries stories with it of the people who built it and who took up space there through decades of the city’s history.

"Research found that the house was originally built in the 1870s by Charles Christian ‘Chris’ Kraft (1827-1905), a German immigrant who was a partner in the firm Klieves & Kraft Company," Finstein said. "That company was responsible for the construction of - among other buildings - most of the houses on Wheeling’s historic Chapline Street Row, St. Alphonsus Cathedral and the iconic Woodburn Hall at WVU."

The building has been repurposed and will serve many decades to come as a window into the past, Finstein noted.

"The house now serves as an event space, appropriately named the Kraft House," she said. "Restoration work such as this is time-consuming and expensive, even when much of the work is done by the owners. But this kind of work is important to preserving Wheeling’s architectural heritage."

Wheeling’s stock of historic buildings is fairly unique, and organizations such as Friends of Wheeling promote preservation of these structures, viewing their historic value as one of the city’s biggest assets.

"We’re fortunate to have amazing buildings like this, unlike most other cities," Finstein said. "Let’s work together to ensure that more success can happen."

Finstein indicated that this presentation before city council was the first in a series of success stories the Friends of Wheeling hopes to highlight in the future to help raise awareness about the great potential that historic preservation has when a community shares that vision.

City leaders have vowed to allow preservationists to salvage elements from the buildings in the 14th Street block before they are razed later this year.

While several historic buildings in town have been demolished over the years in order to make space for newer facilities, the city and partner organizations such as Wheeling Heritage and RED have made significant efforts to help save and maintain many of them, as well. They including historic buildings in the 1100 block of Main Street and the 1400 block of Market Street, Centre Market, the Wheeling Artisan Center, Celeron Plaza and others. The city has also provided funding assistance for private restorations through programs such as its popular Facade Improvement Program.