Friends of Wheeling is West Virginia’s oldest historic preservation organization.
It is a non-profit volunteer organization formed in 1970 by local residents who strongly believed in the preservation of Wheeling’s architectural and cultural heritage. Over the years, Friends of Wheeling has been involved in numerous projects that have brought an awareness of preservation to the community.
Hughes Duplex Restoration
Located at 722-724 Main Street, the Hughes Duplex was donated to the Friends of Wheeling in January of 2022 and, at the time, was in serious danger of being demolished. Since then, FOW members and supporters have worked to stabilize and rehabilitate the duplex into two residential homes that will be assets to the North Wheeling Historic District.
How the Friends of Wheeling Saved the Hughes Duplex
As a recipient of the Wheeling Historic Revitalization Subgrant Program, the Wheeling Heritage Media team took a look behind the scenes at the Hughes Duplex to document the progress that’s been made and the group’s vision for the future. Check out the video or read more in our article on Weelunk!
Preservation Loan Guarantee Fund
Friends of Wheeling, Inc. has established a Preservation Loan Guarantee Fund that will be used as collateral on projects that involve renovation work on either residential or commercial properties in Wheeling. The overall intent is to encourage preservation/renovation projects by providing access to low interest-rate loans. At this time, the maximum amount guaranteed is $25,000, and the maximum loan duration is 5 years.
Follow the below link to learn more and apply for the Preservation Loan Guarantee Fund.
Deed Research
Information on researching property deeds in Ohio County can be found in this webinar hosted by Friends of Wheeling president Jeanne Finstein for the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia.
You can view the list of research links mentioned in the video by clicking the link in the description.