From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — The iconic Wheeler house at 401 Main Street was demolished on Saturday to make way for a planned unit development (PUD), which has been proposed for the property. Mrs. Wheeler was well known in Trussville for teaching piano lessons to local children. Her piano can be seen in the photos below.
The Wheeler house has quite a history, according to local lore. The house was originally two structures that housed railroad working families. The two structures were combined to form the Wheeler house at its first location, which was on North Chalkville Road near Mountain Drive.
The house was later moved to the north side of Main Street, almost directly across the road from its final location on the south side of Main Street next to Captain D’s.
The new development, a senior living facility, which was approved by the prior city administration in 2014, is called Creekside at Trussville. The facility will be operated by The Cottages, which operates 10 senior living facilities in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.
The original plans presented to the council called for an assisted living facility, independent living apartments for senior citizens and a strip mall on Main Street. The 9,500 square foot strip mall would include retail space and a 3,500 square foot restaurant with a pick-up window. The restaurant would share a kitchen with the assisted living facility behind the strip mall.
The developer of Creekside, Cliff White, returned to a council workshop in 2018 seeking a $3.4 million investment from the city for the project. Among the improvements requested by White was a walking trail along Pinchgut Creek connecting the senior living facility with the Entertainment District. To date, the council has taken no action on the request.
Click on the photos below to enlarge.
