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After costing the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston more than $300,000 over the past two years, the St. Thomas More Center in Elm Grove is set to be demolished.

The building, located at 2264 Marshall Ave. near St. Vincent de Paul Church, once served as an orphanage and in recent years hosted various church retreats and functioned in various educational capacities.

However, according to diocesan spokesman Bryan Minor, the building has become too much of a financial drain for the diocese to continue operating it. He said "barring unforeseen circumstances," crews will raze the building sometime this winter.

"In no way did the building generate enough income to pay for itself," he said.

Minor pointed out the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston runs another pastoral center in the Clearview area, the Paul VI Center at 667 Stone Shannon Road. He said it's a "modern facility with many more amenities" than were available at the St. Thomas More Center.

"To operate two facilities like that in the same county has been cost prohibitive," he said.

Most recently, Minor said, the Elm Grove building was used for youth retreats sponsored by the Teens Encounter Christ program and also by various groups from the Diocese of Steubenville. Minor said the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is encouraging those groups to relocate their retreat weekends to the Paul VI Center.

While Minor said registration fees at the new facility are higher, he noted officials are working toward honoring the lower rates of the St. Thomas More Center for any relocated retreat weekends in the near future.

"They have a wonderful pastoral site," Minor said of the Paul VI Center. "They're a wonderful resource."

Also, he said a sister with vows directly to Bishop Michael Bransfield lived in the building until recently. According to Minor, she has been relocated to the Welty Home for the Aged.

Minor expects asbestos removal at the St. Thomas More Center to be completed sometime within the next month.

He said much of the building's furniture and equipment will be held in storage so the St. John's Home for boys can use the items for that facility's planned expansion.

As for the property's future with the diocese, Minor said nothing is set in stone.

He said there is a proposed use in conjunction with St. Vincent de Paul, but plans have yet to be finalized.

Minor said the building's demolition will mark "the end of an era" for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

"You have to make hard decisions," he said. "It's something that's needed so that other operations don't suffer."