Wheeling Park (Tour)

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The Sonneborn Gates are an architecturally striking welcome to Wheeling Park. The mirrored structure is made of limestone and wrought iron and was completed in 1928. Prior to the completion of this gate, Wheeling Park was fronted by a simple wooden hut under Thomas Hornbrook's ownership, followed by a much grander arch when the area was an amusement park. The road passes through the center of the Sonneborn Gates, while small arches on the side allow for pedestrian access. Though artfully executed, the gates are not gaudy or overwhelming and match the general scale of the park’s human-made elements. The name of the structure comes from Moses Sonneborn, who established The Hub department store, and was one of Wheeling’s most famous businessmen. When the city of Wheeling purchased Wheeling Park in 1924, they solicited prominent citizens to fund facilities in the park. Moses Sonneborn supported the construction of these gates. The Sonneborn Shelter is not named after Moses Sonneborn, but after his son, Charles.

2. Schwertfeger Shelter and Stifel Playground

The Schwertfeger Shelter and Stifel Playground were constructed concurrently in 1948. The Schwertfeger Shelter is a simple open-air pavilion supported by wood trusses. Modern brick reinforcements have been added to the corners of the structure. The central stone fireplaces are original to the building. The building was named for F.C.H. Schwertfeger, a Wheeling businessman and philanthropist. Schwertfeger was business partners with George E. Stifel, after whom the playground is named. Schwertfeger and Stifel dealt primarily in dry goods and were renowned for their support of education. Though the Schwertfeger pavilion is largely original, the Stifel playground has been repeatedly replaced and updated over the years.

3. Good Lake

Good Lake has been a central feature of Wheeling Park since the space’s inception. While an amusement park occupied the site, Good Lake served as the bottom of a log flume ride called Shoot the Chutes. After the city of Wheeling acquired the park, the body of water moved into more of a passive beautification role. The Frank Rock Garden was established on the bank in 1929 and a wooden footbridge across the lake was added between 1925 and 1937. The Frank Rock Garden remains, though the footbridge was demolished in the latter half of the twentieth century. Another set of major renovations occurred in 1972. The eighteen-hole miniature golf course, a boathouse, and docks were all added to Good Lake. The amphitheater on one end of the lake was likely also added around this time, replacing an older open-air theater. All of these structures and facilities remain extant and operational.

4. Otto Schenk Memorial Aviary and Zoological Cages (1928-2000)

Wheeling Park was once home to more animals than just the indigenous wildlife. Thomas Hornbrook, the park’s first owner kept a wide variety of exotic animals on the grounds. Though the site exhibited animals no during its stint as an amusement park, after the city of Wheeling acquired the park, the Otto Schenk Memorial Aviary was added in 1928. The zoological cages were constructed shortly thereafter and only ever held monkeys. However, the monkeys were removed by 1973 with the aviary lasting until 2000.

5. The White Palace

The White Palace sits at the heart of Wheeling Park. The first building at this site was called the Casino, and was an entertainment center when Wheeling Park was still privately owned and operated. The Casino burnt down just a few months after the city of Wheeling acquired it. This structure was replaced by the White Palace, though the official name of the building was the Otto Schenk Memorial Pavilion after a Wheeling Park philanthropist. The pavilion was an open air structure until the 1950s, when several renovations and expansions began transforming the building into what you see today. The White Palace continues to be a cultural hub of Wheeling Park.

6. W.E. Stone Memorial Clubhouse and Pool

For well over a century, Wheeling Park’s pool has been one of its primary attractions. The pool constructed by the amusement park that once occupied the site continued to be used in the first decade of Wheeling’s ownership of the park. It was replaced between 1936 and 1937, thanks to funding from the Works Progress Administration and W.E. Stone. This pool was again replaced in the late 1960s with the W.E. Stone Memorial Clubhouse and Pool that continues to serve Wheeling Park today.

7. Sonneborn Shelter and Hilltop Area

The Sonneborn Shelter is the centerpiece and oldest structure of Wheeling Park’s Hilltop Area. The picnic pavilion was built in 1973 using laminated wood and antique bricks, in order to match the W.E. Stone Memorial Clubhouse and Pool. Between 1973 and 1984, six tennis courts and a shelter were also added nearby. Finally, soccer fields were added to the area in the late 1980s, rounding out the Hilltop Area’s development. The Sonneborn Shelter is named for Charles Sonneborn, a Wheeling businessman and real estate developer. Sonneborn and associate Louis Haller purchased the land Wheeling Park now occupies in 1924. Though the two men initially planned on selling the site in plots for residential construction, they instead offered to sell it to the city of Wheeling if $350,000 could be raised. Wheeling was able to raise the funds and Sonneborn’s offer is memorialized by the Sonneborn Shelter. The Sonneborn Gates at the entrance to the park are not named after Charles Sonneborn, but after his father, Moses.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Wheeling Park

Created by Harley Amos on February 4th 2014, 1:59:14 pm.

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Originally the private estate of Thomas Hornbrook, people travelled for miles to visit the grounds on which Wheeling Park is now located. The land was later owned by Reymann Brewing Company, who operated an amusement park at the site. The park was closed in the late 1910s and later acquired by the city of Wheeling. Wheeling Park officially opened in 1925, and quickly became a beloved component of the community. Over the next several decades Wheeling Park was constantly expanded and renovated and several major facilities were opened. In 1960, the size of Wheeling Park almost quadrupled when the total acreage was increased to 406. Today, the park features a number of statues, historic buildings, and recreational activities that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

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Wheeling Park

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