Established in 1850, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston comprises the entire state of West Virginia, a state with a population of approximately 1.8 million and 116,000 Catholics. In 2011, the diocese initiated a major reorganization project for the campus of St. Joseph Cathedral, where the diocese had outgrown its existing 1950s-era chancery that houses the diocese’s administrative offices.

Located in Wheeling, WV, the existing campus included numerous buildings serving the area’s Catholic community: St. Joseph Cathedral, a chancery, rectory and archives, as well as a high school and elementary school. Plans for the reorganization included closing the existing elementary school due to low enrollment and renovating the building into a new chancery.