The Building of the Reilly Block

▶  WHEELING HISTORY  ▶  PLACES  ▶  HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE  ▶  REILLY BUILDING ▼ Newspaper Article

-from the The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, Friday Morning, April 3, 1885.

THE REILLY BLOCK.

A HANDSOME, ELEGANT BUILDING 

To be Erected In the Hart [sic] of the City During the Coming Summer—A Description of the Building Which will be a Credit to the City and its Builders.

The first of October next, will see erected the northwest corner of Market and Fourteenth streets, what will be the finest building in Wheeling; one that will the pride of the city, creditable alike the ability and capacity of the contractors and builders and the push and energy of the leading citizen whose it will be. It will be known as the “Reilly Block," and will be a monument to the enterprise of Michael Reilly, Esq.

The new building is to be four stories high. From the pavement to the top of the ornamental cornice will be over seventy feet in heightlr [sic], which will be higher by twelve or fifteen feet than the roof of the Opera House. The building will occupy all that space on which now stands the old two-story building occupied by Dr. Schnepf's drugstore and formerly by the Tidal Wave saloon, including the little frame structure in the rear next to the Fourteenth street exit from the Opera House. The new block is to be built of plain and ornamental pressed brick with Cleveland stone trimmings. The Market street front will be nearly all glass. The finest French plate will be used in both fronts for the first and second stories. Stained glass will also be used in ornamental windows on the Fourteenth street side and at the top of the fourth story windows. The building is to be finished in hard wood throughout. There will be two entrances to the upper stories. The one on Market street will be next to the Opera House entrance and the other on Fourteenth street, will be next to the Opera House exit on that street.

The store room on the corner will probably be occupied by Dr. Schnepf again with his drug store. Underneath the front part of this room there will be a basement office nicely finished up, that will be reached by an entrance on Fourteenth street and lighted by glass pavement lights. The second store room, saloon room or office, whatever it may be used for, will in addition to the light from the front, be lighted by a skylight well in the rear that runs up through the entire building.

On the second floor over the corner storeroom there will be two large offices, and over the other store room one large and one small office together with the necessary halls, closets, coal boxes, etc. On the third floor over the corner store room will be three offices, or they may be thrown into one room and made a hall for society, by tearing out the partitions; over the other store room are two offices or club rooms with the halls, coal boxes and closets. The fourth floor will be a haII 40x44 feet.

The plans and specifications for this handsome building were gotten up by Mr. W. Wells, of Klevis, Kraft & Co. He has spent considerable time on them and has good reason to be proud of the results. The building will be built by Klevis, Kraft& Co., who have already commenced tearing down the structure. This old building, by the way, projects out over a foot on the Fourteenth street pavement. The new building will not be allowed to do this.

Reilly Building  |  Historic Architecture  |  Places of Wheeling Home  |  Wheeling History Home  |  OCPL Home