OHGeneral

http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4215292 This one has me fired up enough that I might send in a response letter. :speech: what an idiotic letter! Well, the writer just got owned - and I didn't even have to do it! :) http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4270802

Good article, but they forget the Paradox book store!

A ghost?

That's a beautiful neighborhood!

It's in the basement of Liberty Commons.

I hope this was a joke: http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4215292 This one has me fired up enough that I might send in a response letter. :speech:

Thanks for the info. I'd be more suspicious too, except that Washington Properties has a pretty good record with renovating what downtown has. In fact, I would often comment to friends (in reference to the Freedlander building) "Boy, I bet he's just waiting to get his hands on this one." I always hated that too, I was always trying to convince people to go to the more local places. I don't remember Tracy's Karate so I'm not sure which of the coffeeshops you are talking about (Seattle's? Muddy Waters?), but Tulipan's, Matso's and CW Burgerstein's, along with South Market Bistro, were always some of my favorite places to go You'd think it would kill some of my friends to see a movie at the Big Picture. $4 admission, and sometimes they run buy one, get one free specials.

Picking and Choosing 1100 Block Properties By CASEY JUNKINS WHEELING - The former Rite Aid building, the former G. C. Murphy building and the River City Dance Works buildings are the primary targets in the 1100 block of Main and Market streets. But Dr. Manny Velez said City Manager Robert Herron has told him the city will not buy Velez's dental office and Feet First building as part of the city's $2.5 million Tax Increment Financing plan. And the owners of Vocelli Pizza and Howard's Diamond Center said they have no plans to sell their buildings to the city. Herron was unavailable for comment Wednesday regarding the status of the 1100 block, but Mayor Andy McKenzie said the city has not ruled out anything. "We are going to look at all of our options for the 1100 block," he said. Read more at http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/512625.html?nav=515

There was an Amish Door in Wheeling?

Both the article you posted and the Cleveland Leader article cited are very interesting. It appears from this site, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mikalama/kalamazoohistory2d.htm, that the Gilmore Bros. store was indeed demolished, though. My biggest beef with the demolition is that people are just accepting the whole thing at face value: not just the demolition, but also the closing. Much of what I've read indicates that it couldn't be saved; I just wish Woosterites were putting up a fight. Heck, I even wish Stanley Gault would have tried to sell the store to someone who would attempt to make it competitive. That's the biggest problem. There's hardly been any marketing, and much of the clothing is for a much older demographic. There's hardly what would be called a "young men's" section, and I imagine its the same for juniors.

1100 Block Is The Target Council discusses buying downtown Wheeling structures WHEELING - The former G.C. Murphy building and former Rite Aid building are among structures in the 1100 block of Main and Market streets that City Council may buy with $2.5 million worth of Tax Increment Financing. Following an executive session at the Tuesday council meeting, members unanimously approved a motion directing City Manager Robert Herron to "present ... the appropriate ordinances to undertake the acquisition and financing of certain buildings/ properties in the 1100 block of Main and Market streets ..." The previous council wanted to purchase and demolish the former Feet First building that continues to Dr. Manny Velez's dental office and the River City Dance Works building, in addition to the former G.C. Murphy building and former Rite Aid building. City officials already have purchased the former Downtown Wheeling Antiques building with $20,000 in Community Development Block Grant money. Read more at http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/512578.html?nav=515 One of the buildings in question is, unless the facade is hiding something, not that historical. However, at least one of the buildings on this block pre-dates West Virginian statehood. Although it's only a small part of Wheeling's great architcture, I really wish this wasn't an option.

I went with #6 as well. They're all very nice, though! :)

Thanks for the info! It would definitely be a baby step - the only problem is that Wayne County is about five times as large as Wells County. Larger fleet, perhaps? Also, your pictures do bring up the most important issue regarding public transportation. The buses must be yellow and white again! Those are awesome.

I've been kicking an idea around for a while and would like some feedback. Until the mid-90s, Wooster had a bus system. They used full-size buses and they usually empty, which is probably why it got shut down to begin with. Since then, the idea of bringing back a public transportation system seems to be brought up but never goes anywhere. However, I have a proposal that I think might work. The city should invest in a small fleet of short buses, such as those used in school systems and senior citizen transportation and refurbish them (provided that long-term maintenance costs would not prove to be too much). The smaller buses would cost less to fill up and to maintain, and also the effect of seeing fuller buses may encourage others to jump on the bandbus. :lol: Fuel costs are also a concern. I think this could potentially be alleviated through the use of biodiesel, assuming that a steady source of fuel could be found. At any rate, I think a bus system is imperative for helping to alleviate the parking issues Wooster often has during the day, and also might encourage people to shop and dine downtown without spending much on precious gas. I also predict that College of Wooster students might be interested in riding if they don't have cars on campus or don't know how to get somewhere. I'd appreciate the input of any other forumers!

are there any Starbucks in Wheeling proper? I do recall seeing some cool-looking indie coffeeshops downtown. There are none. Centre Cup and Wheeling Coffee and Spice are open, though. There's also a neat coffee shop (IIRC its also called the Wheeling Coffee Shop?) Second Cup closed, as did the "Koffee Shop." I don't remember ever seeing it, actually. Those that are open seem to do pretty well, though. Funny, I saw an op-ed in the Akron Beacon Journal that talked about the Starbucks closing in Tridelphia, WV.

That house is awesome. Great work! :clap: And great condo work too. I'm digging the kickplate, and the drawers along the window.

It's because Wooster is about twenty minutes away! :-D Other than that, good shots of Seville. How about that old mansion across from the old gas station? Oh, and I think the "cute cottage" might be city hall...

According to several posters on the DR article's comments page (not the best source, I know), the facades of the buildings were removed to put up the current exterior.

According to the story, back in the 70s JC Penney wanted to build a store in downtown Wooster, and Freedlander's fought them tooth and nail. Twenty years later, Penney's ended up opening on the north end, with Elder Beerman and Kohl's. The idea is that Freedlander's didn't have to compete, and that's what led to their downfall. People like my parents who could afford to shop there on minimum wage in the 70s can't afford to shop there now even with a regular salary. Stuff like the bargain basement became a thing of the past. Opinion I guess, but it makes sense to me.

Bittersweet indeed. A lot of people I know (who were around at the time) think Freedlander's killed itself when they blocked JC Penney from opening downtown. Hopefully this construction will work well. They have a good record. I'm already working on my wish list of businesses!

There's a lot of vacancies but the shops and restaurants that are there do very well. It's nigh impossible to find a parking space. btw can somebody move this thread to the non-Ohio board? :)

And here's the big news coming out of Wooster. Definitely bittersweet. When I was a kid there were two independent downtown department stores; now there will soon be none. More at http://www.the-daily-record.com

More at http://www.the-daily-record.com

It is Rubbermaid, and no, not really. Somebody owns it now and calls it the "Wooster Business Center" (IIRC) and the sign only lists that company and Rubbermaid as tenants. I believe they still use the back for shipping.

K-Cafe all the way!