Photos by Scott McCloskey DANIEL Felton of Trushel Construction of Weirton looks over a row of new windows being installed in the Flatiron Building, one of Wheeling’s most recognizable structures.

WORK continues on the new Boury Lofts, located at the
corner of 16th and Main streets in downtown
Wheeling.

WHEELING — With several areas of downtown Wheeling undergoing major transformations, two of the city’s most recognizable and historic structures located near the corner of 16th and Main streets are receiving new lives with new looks.

Located within a stone’s throw of each other, it is easy for anyone traveling past the wedge-shaped Flatiron Building and the nearby Boury Lofts to notice the major renovations taking place at each structure — especially with the extensive ongoing window installation projects at both sites.

Each with unique views of the Friendly City, both structures are being given new life, as the owners are renovating each with loft-style apartments.

Flatiron Building

Wheeling businessman Kevin Duffin, who owns and is developing the Flatiron Building along with his wife, Patricia, said they decided to purchase and develop the historic structure several years ago, not only because it is structurally sound but because it was a beautiful old structure they felt had a lot of potential.

“Basically, my wife and I always liked the old building and said it would be great to try and restore it, and that’s what we are trying to do,” Duffin said.

The building’s history is nearly as distinctive as its look. The structure was built in the early 1900s for the former Wheeling Steel & Iron Co. — the forerunner of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel. Duffin said he is in the process of constructing six to eight loft-style apartments on the top four floors with plans to use the ground floor for commercial space.

“We’ve had some interviews with some companies who are interested in the first floor, but nothing concrete as of yet,” Duffin said.

Duffin said he originally hoped to have some of the apartments closer to completion by March 1, but that date has been pushed back a couple of months as he continues to work with the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office as the project has received federal historic tax credits.

“We are trying to do some building and development with those guidelines,” Duffin said. “With that being said … everytime you want to do something in the building or outside the facade of the building, in order to be in compliance with tax credits, you have to get their approval and the one sticking point was the windows.”

Duffin said after several meetings with the historic preservation office, he was able to install windows that met criteria for both historic accuracy and energy efficiency. He said the ground level windows have already been restored and they are about 95 percent done with the remainder of the building.

“The state historical people want to examine it and make sure it is historically correct and we’re working with that,” Duffin said. “It took us much longer than we thought.”

Duffin said what he expected to be about a one- to two-month project turned out to be more like three to six months.

“That put us back and then that pushed the assembly of the windows back … into their busy season. … Once the windows are done and the outside of the building has been restored and repointed and sealed, we can start developing the inside apartments,” Duffin said, noting the plans are drawn up and construction crews are installing an elevator and fire suppression system throughout the building. “There is a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff going on — stuff you never see. ”

Duffin said he had to install a new stormsewer and waterlines. New electric infrastructure will be installed through the building.

“So there is a lot being done … there is a lot of activity. It’s not the walls and the decorations and the decor, it is putting the bones back in building, as they say,” he said.

Duffin said another big draw to purchasing the Flatiron Building was the potential for connecting it to the Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Transportation Center — something Duffin has already put into place over the past year.

“The second, third, fourth and fifth floors have what we call bridges and these are connectors between our building and the parking garage,” Duffin said.

Each of those floors is now connected to the garage with a security door entrance, providing potential tenants with easy access to the garage. Duffin said they weren’t able to connect the first floor to the garage because there is an “active driveway.”

“I just thought it was vitally important for the life of the that building to have parking either for the tenants or the business people who utilize that building,” he added.

Duffin is quick to point out how the renovations and updates that West Virginia Northern Community College, the Woda Group and the city of Wheeling have made to the same section of downtown over the past few years all have blended together very well.

“We are just a very small player that says hey, the city of Wheeling is going through a renaissance and we would just like to be a part of it,” Duffin added.

Boury Lofts

While there has been some delay with the ongoing construction of the loft apartments at the new Boury Lofts inside the former Boury Warehouse at the corner of 16th and Main streets — also due to the extensive window installation process — work continues to move right along, according to Erica Pettrey, regional manager for the Woda Group.

While a couple of units are already occupied, Pettrey said members of the Wheeling Nailers hockey team have committed to occupying the entire first floor, as well as two units on the second floor. She said the company recently promoted the units on Facebook and they are seeing a positive response with a lot of people already pre-leasing units.

“We are very excited about the turnout in Wheeling,” Pettrey said.

Pettrey said there will be a total of 73 units that range in size from 610-1,360 square feet, with the majority of units being between the 610 and 950 square feet. She expects to have some floors finished by the end of January, with other floors scheduled to be done by mid-February and mid-March.

All units will feature an on-site washer and dryer, stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and stone floors. Characteristics of what was once the historic Boury Warehouse will complement the rooms, with an emphasis placed on the original brick walls and wooden beams.

Joe DiCesare, director of construction for the Woda Group, said some of delays occurred with construction due to the property’s unique window needs. He said the windows have been difficult to source because of their specific size.

The project was announced in October 2015 at a cost of $13 million.