Photo by: Joselyn Koenig
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (left) is greeted at the Wheeling Artisan Center by Jay Frey, president of the Wheeling Heritage Foundation, and historian Jeanne Finstein. Wheeling Heritage invited Capito to a ceremony Tuesday to officially open the renovated Artisan Center.
WHEELING – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito is pleased with the sight she sees as she enters downtown Wheeling, where the Downtown Streetscape Project is nearing completion.
But there is also a part of the landscape that she hopes will soon disappear.
Capito, R.W.Va., was in the Friendly City on Tuesday to celebrate the completion of renovations at the Wheeling Artisan Center. Capito was able to secure $1 million in federal funding for the construction.
Now she is looking for funding for another project in Wheeling.
“We want to continue to improve,” Capito told those present at the Wheeling Artisan Center. “If we get some (more) money – but not all of it – it will be used to demolish this ‘beautiful’ (former Wheeling Inn).”
Capito initially called the motel something different and was corrected by those present.
“Whatever it is… it’s not good,” Capito said to laughter in the room.
Hazardous waste removal has already begun at the former Wheeling Inn on Main Street. Demolition is scheduled to begin immediately afterward. A new Gateway Center is to be built on the site to serve as a visitor center for the city. The total cost of the project is estimated at $13 million to $16 million.
But on Tuesday it was all about the Artisan Center.
The Artisan Center Shop has been relocated to the ground floor, while Prodigal Daughter Treasures and Trinkets – previously in Steubenville – has moved into the shop next door. There is a gallery in front of the shops where local artisans can display their work.
The River City Restaurant has been reduced in size but remains on the ground floor.
Cleveland-based Forefront Technology has opened a branch in part of the former Artisan Center space on the second floor, and Tipping Point Real Estate has an office in the building. EffectTV remains a tenant.
Capito found the Artisan Center’s new design “so beautiful” and open. She noted that the gift shop and artisan gallery now on the ground floor will really increase business traffic once the streetscape project is completed.
“I think they did a great job,” she said. “It was a group effort, you can see that.”
Capito added that Scott Schenerlein, executive director of Wheeling Heritage, was initially very open with her office about the plans for the proposed renovation.
“People have to remember that while a Congressionally mandated expenditure (formerly known as ‘earmarks’) is determined by me as part of the budget process, it is also taxpayer money that is going back to the community,” she explained. “It’s not my money. It’s our taxpayer money. I think it was a great investment and they took very good care of it.”
In addition to the $1 million in federal funding provided by Capito, the City of Wheeling provided an additional $750,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act for the project.
“The renovations planned here were planned over a period of several years to obtain not only congressional appropriations but also ARPA funds to carry them out and make the building more operational,” said City Manager Robert Herron.
“I think it’s spectacular and a great job by Wheeling Heritage.”
He added that the city of Wheeling helped manage the entire project, but the end result was “clearly a credit to Scott Schenerlein and his staff.”
“Three new businesses have already moved in. Bringing ground-floor retail is beneficial to downtown overall, and keeping River City as a restaurant for years to come is a very positive thing,” Herron said.
Frank O’Brien, executive director of the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau, called the Artisan Center project “fantastic.”
“It’s been an anchor for downtown Wheeling and I’m surprised at how many groups are using this facility,” O’Brien said. “It’s been a great investment. If you’re part of the community, come check it out.”
