A Wheeling restoration project is slated to be featured in a new television series that will stream on discovery+ beginning Oct. 15. Magnolia Network’s original series “In With the Old,” produced by Texas Crew, will include an episode with some familiar faces and places from the Friendly City. Betsy Sweeny, local architectural historian and director of heritage programming for Wheeling Heritage, will be featured in an episode of the series.
The episode follows Sweeny through the process of restoring her East Wheeling Victorian home that she purchased in May 2020 for just $18,500. It also highlights revitalization efforts taking place across the city and features a few of the local craftspeople helping Sweeny restore her home.
“It was important to me to highlight Wheeling as much as possible,” Sweeny said. “At the end of the day, I don’t want people to think, ‘Oh, Betsy has a cool house.’ I want them to think, ‘Wow, I could do that. Maybe I should live in Wheeling.’”
[template_part type="video" title="Betsy Sweeny: Saving Old Buildings in Wheeling, WV" description="As an architectural historian for Wheeling Heritage, she uses her home as an example to give insight and encouragement to those considering a restoration project of their own." url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQqTLK6B4Ak"]“In With the Old” follows designers, builders and old-home enthusiasts in small towns and big cities across America who are reimagining and transforming abandoned structures by preserving their historical integrity while giving them new purpose.
With the show’s production team based in Texas, the network partnered with Wheeling Heritage Media to help collect footage that was used for the episode shot in Wheeling. The Wheeling Heritage Media teamed provided comprehensive footage of the day-to-day progress being made at Sweeny’s home.
“The goal of Wheeling Heritage Media is to tell Wheeling’s story by creating engaging digital content. Most often, our team works with local organizations to help tell their stories or create our own content that is shared on Weelunk,” said Alex Panas, Communications Manager at Wheeling Heritage. “This latest project with the Magnolia Network is a first for our team, but we’re excited that our work will be shared with such a wide audience and give more people the chance to learn about all of the positive things happening here in Wheeling.”
“In with the Old” is now streaming exclusively on discovery+ and the Magnolia app.
"In With the Old" highlights the restoration of Sweeny's East Wheeling home that she purchased in 2020 for just $18,500.
About Wheeling Heritage:
Wheeling Heritage is a catalyst for the revitalization of Wheeling. Through historic preservation, community development, and the arts, we help to tell Wheeling’s story and shape its future. We seek to improve the quality of life in Wheeling by preserving and investing in our city, collaborating with others, and engaging the citizens of Wheeling in our work.
