WesBanco Arena (originally Wheeling Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena located in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was built in 1977 at a cost of $7 million.
- Venue
- WesBanco Arena
- Town
- West Virginia, US
- Capacity
- 5,600
WesBanco Arena (originally Wheeling Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena located in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was built in 1977 at a cost of $7 million. It is home to the Wheeling Nailers ice hockey team, the Wheeling Miners indoor football team, the Mountain East Conference basketball tournament and the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference wrestling tournament. In February 1973, a civic center in Wheeling was proposed, and in May 1973, Mosser Construction Inc. was announced to be the architectural firm for the arena. Plans for construction of the venue, along with plans for a nearby parking garage, were approved by Wheeling City Council on April 16, 1974. The combined cost of both properties was estimated to be $9.6 million. On September 16, 1974, a petition by Wheeling residents James R. Kucera and Robert J. Haberfield, who opposed the construction of the civic center, was turned down by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. The action paved the way for the City Council to sell bonds for the project. The arena's original construction date, April 1, 1975, was announced in February 1975, but by September 6, 1975, construction had begun on the civic center. Around this time, the architectural firm Dalton, Dalton, Little & Newport replaced Mosser Construction Inc. as the architects. The center's opening date was announced as April 19, 1977, and on that day, the arena opened to the public with a Doobie Brothers concert, which was attended by 6,922. On October 18, 2003, Wheeling-based bank holding company WesBanco signed a 10-year naming rights deal for $2.3 million. The company renewed the deal for 10 more years for $2.5 million on August 23, 2013. It can also be used for conventions, trade shows, concerts, banquets and other events. It features 23,684 square feet (2,200 m2) of space plus 7,500 square feet (700 m2) of meeting room space. These meeting rooms can accommodate parties from ten to several hundred people. The largest meeting room is named "Health Pla