In 1849, the first suspension bridge spanning the Ohio River was constructed at Wheeling, providing a new route to the West along the National Road.

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad mainline reached Wheeling in 1853, prompting a dramatic increase in population, commerce, and industry.

However, following the 1907 completion of the building, which included a post office, courthouse, and custom house, development soon shifted to the north.

Courthouse was constructed under the Tarsney Act of 1893, which allowed the United States Department of the Treasury to hold competitions for the design of select federal buildings with the intention of improving governmental architecture's quality.

The Wheeling federal building, designed in the Beaux Arts Classicism style, set a high standard for architectural excellence.

In 1937, as Wheeling required increased services, architect George W. Petticord designed an addition that complemented the original building's Beaux Arts character.

In 1999, a small wing was added to the rear of the building to create more secure holding and circulation areas for detainees.

[1] The courthouse is a stately example of Beaux Arts Classicism architecture, providing downtown Wheeling with an elegant building that conveys the federal government's former dignity.

The granite building displays many character-defining features of the Beaux Arts Classicism style, including a symmetrical, monumental facade and paired columns.

A colonnade that features paired Ionic columns with stylized foliated motifs and unusual tassel ornamentation dominates the three central bays of the second and third stories.

Also on the second story and flanking the colonnade are windows with elaborate semi-circular hoods featuring scrolled brackets supporting oval medallions.

The entrance incorporates a striking glass-curtain wall with twenty-five images of the Great Seal of the United States screened on five-by-five foot glass panels.

[1] The new second-floor district courtroom overlooks the atrium lobby and contains dark cherry paneling and metal light fixtures.