WHEELING — The Wheeling Inn, which has been in the crosshairs of city officials over the past six months following City Council’s declaration that the structure is a public nuisance, has been sold to the Wheeling/Ohio County Convention and Visitors Bureau for $1.7 million.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau finalized the purchase Tuesday, according to a news release. A formal announcement from the CVB is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the site, 949 Main St. downtown.

According to the CVB, “With this property adjacent to the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge, the Wheeling/Ohio County CVB and partners can create a beautiful entry to the downtown area from the eastbound and westbound exits” off Interstate 70.

“Plans are in motion for the demolition of existing structures and the construction of a ‘Gateway’ to the state of West Virginia, and Wheeling will be able to make a great first impression on its visitors.”

Currently, the Convention and Visitors Bureau is located on the ground floor of the Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Transportation Center — a location that travelers have said is not easy to find. The Wheeling Inn site, just off the interstate, could possibly be a better location, if that’s how the CVB decides to use the property.

Frank O’Brien, executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the deal is similar in nature to when the CVB purchased the then-Capitol Music Hall in 2009. The CVB is funded exclusively through the state’s hotel/motel tax, and that funding source has been used to leverage financing for the Wheeling Inn’s purchase.

Along with the hotel itself, the deal also includes the two surface lots to the north, the CVB said.

“The visibility from the interstate makes this property the perfect place to create an eye-catching experience to draw in travelers to visit our city and learn about what it offers. This project is an essential piece of the puzzle to revitalize the city,” a release from the CVB states.

The hotel, which was built in 1962, currently is owned by NALINI LLC. According to Ohio County property tax records, NALINI LLC purchased the hotel and surrounding parcels in 2005 for $1 million.

The purchase also offers the opportunity to better showcase the Suspension Bridge. Currently, much of the span downtown is blocked from view by the Wheeling Inn. Bringing that structure down, as the CVB plans to do, and constructing something that showcases the bridge would better serve the city’s growth.

The sale will bring to an end the public nuisance declaration against the Wheeling Inn. City Council in May, by a 5-1 vote, declared the property a public nuisance, with only Vice Mayor Chad Thalman, a close friend of the hotel’s manager, Anand Patel, dissenting. Mayor Glenn Elliott, also a close friend of Patel’s, recused himself from the matter.

The public nuisance declaration was based on a recommendation by city Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger, who outlined to council a list of alleged criminal activities and calls for service to the area of the Wheeling Inn.