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Built by Industry,
Transformed by Innovation
SAMANTHA CART
WHEELING HERITAGE
A Treasured Past
Throughout its 250-year history, the
city of Wheeling has been many things,
including the first capital of the Mountain
State and an industrial giant for industries
such as steel, iron and glasswork. While
its population and economy suffered for
a number of years as factories began clos-
ing their doors, a recent resurgence has
brought with it an influx of new businesses,
young families and advocacy efforts to
honor the city’s historic landscape.
“There was a time when Wheeling res-
idents seemed to only reflect on the city’s
storied past—not what it could be in the
future,” says Frank O’Brien, director of
the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention
& Visitors Bureau (CVB). “The sentiment
seemed to change about 15 years ago when
one of Wheeling’s iconic downtown build-
ings was brought back to life. The Stone
& Thomas building was repurposed and
is now home to hundreds of new upscale
apartments. The investment in the Stone
Center demonstrated that Wheeling was
down but not out.”
This investment spurred others, and
soon buildings that once housed plants
and warehouses were rehabilitated into
law firms, banks and small businesses,
thanks to partnerships between local and
federal governments, preservation agen-
cies and developers. This turning point in
Wheeling’s history changed the conver-
sation on what is possible for the Friendly
City. Soon residents were asking what
was next instead of looking back at what
once was. In 2016, Reinvent Wheeling, the
city’s Main Street program, merged with
Wheeling Heritage, adding a focus on
business development, city planning and
public art to an already thriving movement.
A Call to Action
In collaboration with organizations
like the Regional Economic Development
Partnership (RED), City of Wheeling,
Wheeling-Ohio County CVB and Wheeling
Area Chamber of Commerce, Wheeling
Heritage added fuel to a growing fire that
had already been ignited in the heart of
downtown.
Since 2015, Wheeling Heritage has
generated $50 million in downtown
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SPRING 2019
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