Thoner House

John Thoner built this Victorian Italianate structure as a business and home in 1877. His concern was fine wines and liquors, and his clientele included men of notable influence in the community. Men were welcome to taste and purchase the product through the front entrance, while ladies were required to use a side door and enter a separate room. By this time Wheeling was a center of commerce and trade, and socializing was at an all-time high. After Washington Hall burned down in 1876, it was rebuilt, and the legislature voted a popular referendum to move the state capital to Charleston. Meetings and social events were constant, and businesses such as Thoner's supplied the best houses with wines. The McClure Hotel was one of his customers.

Wheeling, West Virginia · United States