WHEELING, WV (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Live Nation has sold the Capitol Music Hall to a local consortium of groups who plan to rehab and re-open the historic venue. The group acquired the theater from Live Nation for $615,000.
Live Nation acquired the theater from Clear Channel, which purchased the building from local owners in 2002 but the theater was closed because of numerous building code violations.
The groups involved in the purchase include: Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation, the Wheeling-Ohio County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Regional Economic Development Partnership, and the City of Wheeling and the Ohio Valley Area Development Corporation will take control of the property's title. The groups anticipate that the theater will bring more than 65 jobs and $5.5 million to the region WVPB reported.
The groups hope to rehab the building and plan to bring national touring artists, Broadway shows and the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra to the theater.
Denny Magruder, executive director of the nearby WesBanco Arena in downtown Wheeling will take over programming and operations at the venue.
"Our position here would be to run it as a community asset," Magruder told WVPB "This music hall is probably the most important building in downtown Wheeling. We’re not proud of the way our downtown looks right now." – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
