You are here

West Virginia » Northern Panhandle » Wheeling and Ohio County » Wheeling » Columbia Gas of West Virginia

Columbia Gas of West Virginia

-A A +A
1961, John J. Reitz. 44 16th St. (southwest corner of 16th and Chapline sts.)
  • (West Virginia Collection within the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

This delightful six-story office structure is a clean-cut and surprisingly colorful expression of its time. Dark umber panels of polished granite contrast with bright blue enamel spandrels, while protruding aluminum mullions provide additional color contrast and a vertical accent. A butterfly canopy over the entrance is a perfect period piece of the 1960s. A one-story side wing, faced with a colorful mosaic framed in concrete aggregate, provides a horizontal contrast to the vertical lines of the office. The mosaic, which depicts the history of Wheeling, portrays Betty Zane rushing to aid the beleaguered troops at Fort Henry, a factory with smoke billowing out of its stacks, the downtown skyline, and much more. The architect was from Steubenville, Ohio. As of this writing, the building is vacant.

Writing Credits

Author: 
S. Allen Chambers Jr.

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,