Wheeling’s Commitment To Community-Driven, Transformative Change Continues to Deliver Economic Progress in the Greater Ohio Valley

The City of Wheeling, the Wheeling Convention Visitors’ Bureau, Wheeling Heritage, Ohio County and Regional Economic Development (RED) continue to deliver on generational change throughout the Ohio Valley.

This week’s passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026 brings meaningful progress to the region, where 11 of 12 funding requests championed by Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Senator Jim Justice, and Congressman Riley Moore, were approved.

Most notably, one of the top priorities of the community was a direct connection between the future Visitor and Heritage Center and the existing Wheeling Heritage Riverfront Trail. Through the leadership of West Virginia’s federal and state officials, $2MM in allocation was dedicated to one of the project’s most aspirational goals, which will now become an integral anchor to the future local and visitor experience.

“It was extremely important to Wheeling Heritage, the City of Wheeling, and Ohio County to ensure that this project was informed by our local community,” said Frank O’Brien, Executive Director of the Wheeling Convention Visitors’ Bureau.

O’Brien continued, “The design and construction specifications of this project are a direct reflection of the high-quality standards that our local community wishes to provide to our region’s future visitors.

Throughout the entire community engagement process, it was abundantly clear that the Ohio Valley wishes to see a Center that pays homage to the region’s past, while also finding innovative ways to showcase our region’s greatest assets for the future.

Our community is truly inspiring and will provide the best experience to any visitor that comes to Wheeling.”

This recent award of funding arrives at a critical moment as the project team continues working closely with all prior funding partners to release a public invitation to bid for the entire project.  In addition to the City, Wheeling Heritage, and other philanthropy provided by local foundations, other funding partners include the State of West Virginia’s DEP and AMLER departments, the Appalachia Regional Commission, and HUD’s Economic Development Initiatives (EDI).

The FINAL Construction Specifications Stay True to Wheeling’s Character

Since the demolition of the Wheeling Inn, Desmone Architects (celebrating its 10^th-year Anniversary in West Virginia) recently completed construction drawings that directly reflect the community’s input on the exterior design of the building.  These choices keep the design authentic to Wheeling while improving functionality and the overall visitor experience.

The key elements incorporated into the final design include:

• Exterior use of brick, glass, and steel—materials that echo the region’s industrial manufacturing history

• Thoughtfully oriented views toward the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, strengthening the building’s relationship to its historic surroundings

Next Steps: Public Bidding in March

With community-driven construction drawings complete and this latest funding secured, the project is prepared for the public construction bid release expected in March 2026. As a federally supported project, the bidding process will follow a structured timeline and a specific set of requirements that all bidders must adhere to.  If all goes according to plan, the project team and all funding source agencies anticipate a 5-8 week process.   Since there are multiple funding sources involved in this project that wish to fund specific scopes of work, the bidding specifications for contractors will be a mirror image of each of these scopes.

The entire project team looks forward to releasing this once-in-a-generation project out for public bid!

Stay Connected

Generational change in Wheeling is inevitable, and the project team behind the Wheeling Gateway Center is excited to be a part of the current movement that is reshaping downtown Wheeling. As progress, news, and milestones occur, the collective leadership and project team welcome the opportunity to receive feedback and share project milestone updates.

To learn more about Wheeling attractions and upcoming events, visit the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention & Visitors Bureau website.

For project details, past updates, and future announcements, explore the Gateway Center project site and revisit our previous update highlighting work completed throughout 2025.

Together, these steps mark another chapter in Wheeling’s ongoing transformation, shaped by community input, strategic partnerships, and a shared commitment to creating meaningful experiences in downtown Wheeling.