The Preservation of a Jewel

Wheelings B&O Railroad Passenger Station

By Joan Weiskircher, WVNCC Alumni Museum Committee

The Americanized French Renaissance building constructed for the B&O Railroad in 1908 remains as a tremendous asset to the downtown Wheeling area. While trains no longer traverse through Wheeling, the beautiful former train depot continues to be an integral part of the community.

Construction on the site that previously held a church and a bronze factory began in 1906 but was halted due to a disastrous flood in 1907. The new building replaced the original B&O passenger station that was located near the Wheelings current Civic Center. When completed in 1908, the building was a marvel of innovation. At a cost of two million dollars for its construction, the Wheeling station was the thirds largest passenger facility on the B&O line. Quoting the B&O’s own Book of the Royal Blue, “…there is probably no other city of its size in the country which can boast of more up-to-date facilities for handling of passenger business than that afforded by the station and its approaches.”

Two hundred fifty feet long, ninety feet wide and three stories high, the exterior of the four-story building was composed of a granite base with Indiana limestone facing to the second floor line followed with red brick facing on second and third story walls. The building is topped by a green terra cotta tile roof finished off with copper trim. Down spouts carried rain runoff down inside of the columns and these were connected to the drainage system on the adjacent viaduct so as not to be visible. A total of 346 windows were incorporated in the design with the focal point being the arched, cast iron filigree two story high windows over the front portico. These two-story windows were also repeated on the back of the building.

The three front entrance doors opened from a brick plaza into a large, two story lobby, crowned with a stained glass dome that was illuminated by natural light from skylights in the roof. The lobby was finished with Verde-Antique marble wainscot that was topped by painted plaster of a rich Victorian red. The floor of white marble with dark red boarders complimented the interior design. An eight feet wide balcony located on the second floor level ringed above the waiting room area. Extensive electric lighting, a beamed ceiling, and decorative pilasters helped to create a general feeling of richness and dignity in this impressive lobby. Tickets were sold from a ticket office on the left side of the lobby and baggage was handled in a similar fashion. In addition to the main lobby, a second reception area specifically for “ladies” was available to the female traveler as was a smaller waiting room for gentlemen, presumably allowing the male passengers to smoke cigars and pipes that most likely would have been objectionable to the women.

The building boasted four elevators, one on the east and one on the west end, with the third utilized for baggage and the fourth for express. Indoor plumbing, steam heat, electric lights and an internal telephone system provided many comforts for passengers and employees alike. The building was considered entirely fire proof but for additional safety, did contain fire alarms on all floors. The building was cooled via an extensive air shaft system.

Access to the trains was through two double doors on the south side of the building where passengers walked up a cast iron stairwell to the viaduct located on the second level of the building. There were umbrella shelters located on the upper level to protect passengers from inclement weather as they waited to board the trains.

The building boasted extensive office space that was utilized for many of the record keeping activities required of a busy rail company both for passenger and freight transportation. The fourth floor, early in the history of the building, was utilized as a dormitory for trainmen as they might need a place to rest during layovers. Later, the space became a storage area.

A signal tower was located on the south side of the building on Chapline Street just beyond viaduct. Three stories high, its design harmonized with the main building and controls for all signals and switches leading onto the viaduct were operated from this location. They were driven by compressed air. Because electric service was in its infancy in 1908, the company generated its own supply from the adjacent power-house built across Chapline Street, east of the passenger station. Coal was used to produce the necessary energy to operate the total complex. A water tower was located there as well to supply trains as they arrived at the station.

The building was sold to a private owner after passenger service ceased in 1961. It was later sold to a developer who prepared the building for use as an administrative and classroom facility for the newly formed West Virginia Northern Community College in 1976. The college continues to reside in that location and recognizes the unique history of its main campus building. Currently, the college is developing a nearby building across Chapline Street (the former Wheeling Wholesale Grocery Building) to expand the campus. The plans for the renovation of that building are in keeping with the B&O Building’s design and will provide the city with a wonderful asset to the downtown area.