Historic YWCA in Wheeling undergoing major transformation for enhanced privacy and comfort
Wheeling, WV — The YWCA in Wheeling’s multimillion-dollar project continues to progress with updated facilities and rooms to come.
The project, which totals a little more than 10 million dollars, was originally set to be completed by November but has now been pushed back to March. Executive Director Lori Jones says a lot will be changed in the 119-year-old building.
“Every piece of plumbing, every electrical wire has been changed, as you can see as we walk through, we’ve added sixteen bathrooms in the building, instead of a big gang bathroom but now it’s a jill and jill so everyone has a bedroom, a bathroom, a bedroom,” said Jones.
They wanted to make some of these changes after the pandemic and give people who stay more privacy.
This is the first major renovation they’ve had, and they can expect some relocation of services throughout the building—including where the old swimming pool used to be.
“We’ve now covered the swimming pool, that’s where our boutique is moving downstairs on top of the swimming pool and instead of the boutique on the first floor where the soup kitchen used to be, I think people probably remember that,” said Jones. “It is now a health and wellness learning center for us.”
The new rooms, which can house both women and children, will be built like small apartments. As they get closer to reopening, they are also accepting donations from the community.
“In the future when we do open back up, we’ll be accepting furniture, pots and pans so when people start over, they have things to start over with,” said Jones.
Belmont County Savings Bank has been helping to fund gaps in the project, and Jones says she’s looking forward to its completion to continue assisting those throughout the community and making it feel like home.
“After 113 years of wear and tear on the building, it wasn’t the most comfortable place for people to stay, now it really will be so just because they’ve been victimized and had to leave my home for whatever reason, now they’ll be comfortable in a welcoming place to stay,” Jones said.
The project is scheduled to be completed in the spring, but no specific date has been set yet.