The first things to look for on this large Italianate commercial structure are the bases of two adjoining cast iron pilasters on Main Street. The base on the left is labeled “Sweeneys & Co. Wheeling. Va.”; that on the right, “Sweeney & Son. Wheeling W. Va.” These subtly different legends provide a shorthand testament to West Virginia's formation from the parent state of Virginia. They also provide preliminary evidence for dating the two sections of the building.

Above the first story on Main Street, windows of the two upper floors of brick are capped with cast iron lintels in the older section (the nine bays closest to the corner) and with brick hood molds on the newer section (the next six bays). The third section of the building, 1406 Main Street, also has “Sweeney & Son” pilasters, confirming that it postdates 1863. Along the 14th Street side, granite pillars separate bays. After years of disuse, the Sweeney Building was handsomely refurbished in the 1990s to serve as a crafts emporium and artisan center.