Photo by Joselyn King U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, left, is greeted at the Wheeling Artisan Center by Wheeling Heritage Foundation President Jay Frey and Delegate Diana Winzenreid, R-Ohio. 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 what she sees as she enters 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 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 gathered 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,” said Capito amid 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 new layout of the Artisan Center “so beautiful” and open. She noted that the gift shop and artisan gallery now on the ground floor will really increase business 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 need to remember that a Congressional spending (formerly known as ‘earmarks’) is money I allocated through the budget process, but it is also taxpayer money that is being put back into the community,” She explained: “It’s not my money. It’s our tax money.”
“I think it was a great investment and they took 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 funds provided by Congress but also ARPA funds to carry them out and make the building more efficient for businesses,” explained 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 overall project, but the end result “was clearly a tribute to Scott Schenerlein and his staff.”
“Three new businesses have already moved in. The establishment of ground floor retail stores is beneficial for the city center as a whole, and the preservation of River City as a restaurant for years to come is very positive,” said Herron.
Frank O’Brien is executive director of the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau and said the Artisan Center project is “fantastic.”
“It has been an anchor for downtown Wheeling and I am surprised at how many groups use this facility,” said O’Brien. “It was a great investment. If you’re part of the community, come and see it.”
