Clay School Site Remediation Information

The City of Wheeling is working to transform the former Clay School property into a community asset.  The building, which occupies the entire half-block northeast of 15^th Street and Wood Street, has not been fully occupied since the school shut down in the mid-1990’s. Although there have been unsuccessful efforts to reuse the building, it has sat mostly idle over the past three decades, becoming a source of blight and pollution.

The City of Wheeling purchased the Site in 2021 with the intention of rehabilitating it. After implementing a feasibility study and public input process, Wheeling’s City Council voted unanimously in February 2025 to demolish the structure.  

Through competitive bidding processes, the City has hired Montrose Environmental to oversee the removal of hazardous materials from the building. The demolition of the structure is planned to be completed in 2025.

The hazardous materials removal action requires special health and safety precautions to ensure the safety of workers and the surrounding neighborhood. A Site-Specific Hazardous Materials Abatement Project Manual has been developed for the Site, providing a clear strategy for removing hazardous materials in a manner that follows all federal, state, and local laws. 

Funding to remove hazardous materials from the building has been provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Program.