WHEELING — Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced a $3.2 million state investment Tuesday to help launch construction of the more than $25 million Wheeling Gateway Center, a tourism development expected to attract 175,000 visitors annually and support 87 permanent jobs.
The 23,835-square-foot Gateway Center will be built at the foot of the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge in downtown Wheeling. The facility will include a visitor center and heritage museum, event space, retail stores, a restaurant, outdoor plazas and offices for the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The project will also connect directly to the Wheeling Heritage Trail and Ohio River waterfront.
“The Wheeling Gateway Center is exactly the kind of project we want to invest in because it takes a property that had become an eyesore and turns it into something that will bring people, jobs, and economic activity to West Virginia,” Morrisey said according to a statement released by the Governor’s Office. “Wheeling has incredible history and tremendous momentum, and this project will give visitors a new front door to experience everything the city and the Northern Panhandle have to offer.”
The $3.2 million award comes through the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program. State officials said the funding provides the final piece needed to move the project into construction.
The investment builds on previous state, federal and local funding used to acquire and prepare the former hotel property for redevelopment.
Morrisey credited West Virginia’s congressional delegation, the Legislature and local officials and partners in Wheeling and Ohio County for helping advance the project.
The Gateway Center is projected to generate about $9.3 million in direct annual tourism spending and an additional $21 million in induced economic activity. The project also is expected to generate an estimated $320,000 annually in state and local tax revenue.
“Tourism already supports more than 60,000 jobs in West Virginia, generates more than $1 billion in state and local tax revenue, and produces more than $9 billion in annual economic impact,” Morrisey said. “Investments like the Wheeling Gateway Center will help us keep that momentum going.”
Construction is expected to begin this month, with an official groundbreaking date to be announced.
The project is part of broader revitalization efforts in downtown Wheeling, including the recently restored Wheeling Suspension Bridge and a $35 million streetscape improvement project.
The Gateway Center will replace a previously blighted property with a tourism destination intended to connect visitors with Wheeling’s history, downtown attractions and the Ohio River waterfront.
