1400 Market Block
West Virginia
client:
City of Wheeling
location:
Wheeling, West Virginia
year:
2021 -2023
development budget:
$8,535,987
size:
18,000 SF
building uses:
Restaurant, Retail, Airbnb
History
The 1400 Block on Market Street in downtown Wheeling, WV features a parcel of four adjacent buildings. Each building boasts its own unique, historically significant architectural style and together they serve as a time capsule of sorts, providing a window into Wheeling’s past.
1425 Market Street, which has been known as the Sportsman Club since 1951, is a brick Victorian / Neo-Classical building that was constructed in the 1880’s - the oldest building of the four. The building was a bustling home for a variety of local businesses including a saloon, various auto companies, and even the Manhattan hotel. However, the vitality and prosperity of the building have diminished over time. For the past several decades, the building has sat almost completely vacant with the exception of the Sportsman Club, which operates on the ground floor.
1429 Market Street is one of the few Flemish-style buildings in the city and served as a home for merchant tailoring and character defining home decor such as custom curtains. The building was later transformed into a saloon and restaurant in the 1940’s, demonstrating the malleability of the historic building design. The third building, 1431 Market Street, is the other Victorian / Neo-Classical structure that was built in the 1900’s to meet housing needs through apartment units. A few years later, it was repurposed to become a restaurant, and the most recent use was a bar. The final building of the four housed restaurants, a clothing store, and a News Depot at one point.
These buildings have always been a prominent part of the history of Wheeling but have slipped away and are deteriorating. Revitalizing them will renew an important aspect of the city that has not been utilized in a long time.
context
Wheeling is a vibrant and exciting place to visit for seasonal events like music festivals and sports games which each bring in crowds by the thousands. However, during the off-season and after business hours, there are not many available attractions for visitors or local residents to frequent – causing a continued decline in occupancy and deterioration of some of the most prominent and historically significant structures like those in the 1400 Market Street project.
1400 Market Street is centrally located in downtown Wheeling, just one block east of Main Street.
For the most part, Downtown primarily consists of scattered bars and restaurants, with dimly lit sidewalks that make it feel less safe for a casual stroll. Furthermore, the city lacks a density of businesses to frequent during the daytime where a mom could bring her children, a group of friends could hang out, or a couple could spontaneously meet up.
Wheeling has the largest trail system in the region, The once bustling city filled with economic stability and cultural growth is now deteriorating and largely vacant.
Wheeling is a city determined to reinvent itself as the business, entertainment and cultural center of the Ohio Valley. The 1400 block downtown is ideally positioned between two larger cities
Wheeling is the birthplace of West Virginia and the first State Capitol. Its location makes it an ideal stop for people traveling to and from two larger surrounding cities, Pittsburgh and Columbus. The city of Wheeling and Ohio County have an excellent business climate as well as an advanced workforce. Year-round entertainment, sports, music, festivals, dining, and shopping are some of the amenities that are loved by residents and travelers.
There are countless other economic anchors and developments happening in the area, so this development will continue the momentum already happening.
Being in close proximity to other amenities in the city allow for residents and visitors to experience the blend of historic and modern-day Wheeling. This blend honors the history while continuing to look toward the future. The strong development momentum happening in the city will continue to push Wheeling to be the business, entertainment, and cultural center of Ohio Valley.
redevlopment
Our development plan is to create a destination unlike any other in Wheeling. Since the location of the property is in the heart of the city, the development will establish a downtown destination. The area is very walkable and accessible but has been underutilized for years. Survey results from residents noted that there is limited activity downtown, and from that we saw opportunity. Using the buildings as restaurant, retail, apartment units, and Airbnb’s allow for all aspects of the history and future to be incorporated. Many of the past uses of the building will come back, and some more modern uses as well to attract visitors, and fulfills the wants of the residents.
solutions
When building the capital stack for the 1400 Market Street development, we utilized Historic and State Tax Credits, New Market Tax Credits, and Tax Increment Financing. We had a team of architects, general contractor, and engineers to aid in assessing the needs of the building and then pricing out what the total cost would be. Our team was able to secure $XX of the $XX total.
All four of the buildings that are included in this project have high historic value. 1425 Market Street, the current Sportsman Club, is the oldest one in the group. It’s a brick Victorian / Neo-Classical building that was constructed in the 1880’s. Before it was known as the Sportsman Club in 1951, the building had multiple different uses, a saloon, different auto companies, then the Manhattan hotel. Ever since the Sportsman Club the first level has been the only one utilized as a bar, while the upper floors have remained vacant. 1429 Market Street is one of the few Flemish-style buildings in the city and provided a place for merchant tailoring and home details like curtains, then was transformed to a saloon and restaurant in the 1940’s. The next building, 1431, is the other Victorian / Neo-Classical structure that built in the 1900’s and was once apartment units. A few years later, it was repurposed to be a restaurant, and the most recent use was a bar. The final building of the four housed restaurants, a clothing store, and a News Depot at one point.
These buildings have always been a prominent part of the history of Wheeling but have slipped away and are deteriorating. Revitalizing them will renew an important aspect of the city that has not been utilized in a long time.