Demolition Complete For Gateway Center As Proposals Roll In For Heritage Experience Design
Contact: Frank O’Brien, Wheeling CVB: 304.233.7709 / fobrien@wheelingcvb.com
Wheeling, WV (January 24th, 2025) – The project team for the highly anticipated Wheeling Gateway Visitors and Heritage Center is pleased to announce that the demolition of the former Wheeling Inn is now complete, revealing a completely unobstructed view of the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge for the first time in decades.
This transformative project is set to redefine the City of Wheeling’s primary entrance from the I-70 corridor and bolster economic growth through tourism in the Northern West Virginia panhandle.
The contract closeout process for the remediation and demolition phase of the project is in progress. As a part of this scope ending, the livestream of the project site will be temporarily removed from wheelinggateway.tippingpointdev.com until the construction phase kicks off. The next phase of the project will begin soon, with engineers and architects beginning the development of construction drawings.
As a part of this process, the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), in conjunction with Wheeling Heritage, Wheeling National Heritage Area Foundation, and Ohio County received nine proposals for the design of a heritage focused experience inside the future Wheeling Gateway Center.
The scoring committee assessed each proposal based on criteria established by the project team, and the top three scoring submissions are short-listed for interviews, which will take place in the following weeks. Project teams were evaluated on their alignment with the project’s vision and mission, ability to create new and innovative experiences, qualifications of proposed project team members, and project scope outline.
“All of the proposals submitted were exceptional, which made scoring them a difficult task for the project team,” said Frank O’Brien, Executive Director of the Convention Visitors Bureau. “What we can confirm is that our region will have a high-quality heritage experience that blends history and innovation to inspire visitors and drive growth in the area.”
The firms with the top three scores are TimeLooper, Hilferty & Associates, and Ralph Applebaum Associates. The final selection is anticipated in late-February after each team is interviewed.
For more information, news, and updates on the Wheeling Gateway Center project, visit wheelinggateway.tippingpointdev.com.