A little late for Labor Day, but here goes, anyway.

 

Youngstown, Ohio

August 21, 2008

 

Youngstown was an overnight stop en route to Pennsylvania. I stayed at the Super 8 near the interstate on the west side, and drove Mahoning Avenue to downtown.

 

I feel like it would be pretty easy to spend three days or more photographing Youngstown. I never made it to Mill Creek Park, or any of the industrial sites that KJP referenced in his earlier posts.

 

I had heard of the Tod engine, the massive steam engine from one of the rolling mills, and had even seen photos of its being dismantled for removal from its original location, but didn't realize it was built by a Youngstown company or located there, or that the restored engine had its place in its own park, soon to have a building built to shelter it.

 

The motel was just fine for the price I paid, and Youngstown people for the most part seemed pretty nice.

 

These photos were taken on a Thursday afternoon during business hours.

 

 

 

Oh, Really?

 

The 1905 B&O Station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amtrak's Three Rivers last stopped here March 8, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mahoning County Courthouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For several years part of Federal Street was a pedestrian mall. That met with no more success than most such ventures in midwestern cities. Despite the dearth of commercial or retail activity, downtown Youngstown is clean and mostly well-maintained, with little evidence of tagging or other vandalism. The few people whom I did meet were friendly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, designed by Michael Graves, features displays, some very imposing, describing the industries that built Youngstown -- Coal mining, iron and steel making and surprisingly, silk production.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Butler Institute of American Art was designed by McKim, Mead and White in 1919 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The institute charges no admission fees and receives no federal, state or local tax money, and is supported entirely by corporate and individual donations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youngstown State University is an accredited university. As of 2005 its enrollment was approximately 13,000 students, of whom approximately 11,000 were undergraduates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stambaugh Auditorium was designed by Helmle and Corbett Architects of New York City and built of Indiana Limestone. It was dedicated in 1926.

 

 

Youngstown Thermal Corporation provides steam and chilled water for heating and cooling , through a network of pipes beneath the city streets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 1948 Pennsylvania Railroad Station also served as a bus station, but I don't know if that was concurrent with its service as a passenger rail station, or later. Now it's a fireworks store, and the platforms are fenced off with chain-link topped with razor wire.

 

 

 

 

 

Ukrainian Catholic Church

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jolly once, maybe. Now, not so much.

 

American industry was not ruined by organized labor. It was done in by management ineptitude, policies that emphasized short-term cash flow without considering their effects on long-term viability, and the ill-founded belief in a mythical "services economy" based upon the manipulation of money.

 

 

Edit: July 07, 2010 - Fixed broken links

 

 

 

Christ, what a great thread!

 

 

^Ohio State has a very similar "sculpture."

 

 

edit by Robert Pence 09/03/2010- fixed broken img link

excellent portrait, Rob

Now that's how you do Youngstown! Excellent!

Very nice, extensive tour!

 

For several years a part of Federal Street was a pedestrian mall. That met with no more success than most such ventures in midwestern cities. Now plans have been announced to remove most or all of the present medians and widen the street to make it easier for transit buses to navigate. The changes will include adding more angle parking. I noticed the shortage of parking spaces.

 

There was a lot of controversy about that project.  A lot of people wanted to keep the medians as they were.  So, a compromise was made.  The project is nearly complete, and what you experienced is the result of that compromise.  As far as I know, the only thing left to do is the landscaping.

 

 

I believe this eyesore is the AT&T tower.  Apparently, it will be getting a YSU themed face-lift.

http://www.vindy.com/news/2008/aug/14/tower-to-display-ysu-sign/

 

Since you mention the architects who designed the Butler Institute, Stambaugh Auditorium, and the Center of Industry and Labor, you might be interested to know that a number of buildings downtown were designed by well-known architects.  I can point out the few I know if anyone is interested, or didn't already know.

 

 

edit: 09/03/2010by Robert Pence to fix broken img link

Since you mention the architects who designed the Butler Institute, Stambaugh Auditorium, and the Center of Industry and Labor, you might be interested to know that a number of buildings downtown were designed by well-known architects. I can point out the few I know if anyone is interested, or didn't already know.

 

Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the info on the changes to Federal Street.

 

I'd appreciate knowing about the architects who designed some of the significant downtown buildings. It's not a major pursuit of mine, but I find it interesting and others probably would, too. Sometimes I get surprised by the names that pop up in unexpected places.

Outstanding, Rob!

 

It's a very clean downtown -- critical to getting office tenants to return.

 

I remember seeing the Federal Street pedestrian plaza getting built. I was in Youngstown in April 1981 for a wedding. The reception was held in one of the downtown towers and you could see the construction work well underway. I seem to recall the reception was at the Youngstown Athletic Club or something like that.

 

And if you didn't go into this place to eat, you missed a really good meal (this is one of my favorite downtown Youngstown restaurants, along with MVR on Walnut Street)...

 

 

You also got a photo of the Ohio One building (see the sign on the roof). You'll be interested to know, Rob, that Conrail had their dispatchers here for a large portion of the Fort Wayne Line. There were other dispatchers in here, too, such as for the Cleveland Line up from Alliance, Mahoning Secondary through Bayard, Youngstown Line and more. I got a tour of the place back in 1987 and took photos (I'll post a few sometime)...

 

I remember seeing the Federal Street pedestrian plaza getting built. I was in Youngstown in April 1981 for a wedding. The reception was held in one of the downtown towers and you could see the construction work well underway.

 

Perhaps you saw something being added? Federal Plaza was 70's urban renewal project. I believe it opened in the mid or late 70's.

 

http://www.cardcow.com/wallpaper/view.php?productid=124957

 

Might be. It was Federal Street and there were lots of construction vehicles on it.

Excellent thread!!  This thread makes me want to make my own visit!!

Fantastic set!

Great shots Rob - makes me hope to get over that way before the weather gets too gruesome.

 

God, how many nights did I pogo away in this place? The memories...  :|

 

I'm almost positive I graduated high school with this sculpture's artist:

 

 

edit: 09/03/2010 by Robert Pence to fix broken img links

MayDay ... do tell!  :wink:

Uhh, I graduated with someone named Todd Fowler - according to the YSU site about the penguin sculpture, he got his inspiration from watching his dad paint cars at the Lordstown GM plant. That's about it.

Uhh, I graduated with someone named Todd Fowler - according to the YSU site about the penguin sculpture, he got his inspiration from watching his dad paint cars at the Lordstown GM plant. That's about it.

No, Boo, I meant the bar!  I know you have a good story to tell...or atleast a picture. he he he

Youngstown is such a fantastic city.  I don't understand how people would leave all this behind for a strip mall.  I'm thankful for the people putting in the work to bring people back.  Our country needs a serious shift in ideals before it's too late.

 

Great shots

These buildings (the brick building in the first picture, the second is the Wick building) were designed by Chicago's Daniel Burnham.

 

 

These buildings, (the first is the Stambaugh building) were designed by Detroit's Albert Kahn.

 

 

The Liberty-Paramount Theater was designed by Detroit's C. Howard Crane.

 

Most of the other structures, like the Metro tower, Realty building, Home Savings, etc., were designed by local architects.

 

edit: 09/03/2010 by Robert Pence to fix broken img link

Thanks for that info, JRC. I was impressed by the number of handsome large buildings in Youngstown's CBD. I wish I had been there to see that place when things were prosperous.

I wish I had been there to see that place when things were prosperous.

 

While Youngstown is never going to be an industrial mecca ever again, it is coming back to life.  And, I'm told by locals that downtown is the best they've seen it (activity, new development, etc.) in the last 20 years.  IMO, this revitalization is just getting started.  So please come back every couple years to see the progress.

Is there a reason i can't see these pics??? Someone help me!!!

Hey Rob, how come none of the links are active anymore? Can't you host them permanently someplace like photobucket or flicker?

 

Looks like Rob reorganized/renamed his photos on his website.  To see his Y-town photos, follow this link:

http://robertpence.com/oh_youngstown/oh_youngstown.html

Looks like Rob reorganized/renamed his photos on his website.  To see his Y-town photos, follow this link:

http://robertpence.com/oh_youngstown/oh_youngstown.html

 

Sorry about that. I'll fix the links. My site was getting out-of-control cluttered and I restructured it for more consistency and easier navigation. I was fully aware that I would break a bunch of links in the process, but I think they're easily fixed. In most cases I just changed directory names on my host.

Thanks Rob

Great set of photos, Rob, showing the diversity in a great American city. As the captions show, some of the nation's leading architects designed structures in the City in the past and apparently, the trend is not yet dead as the internationally known Michael Graves' museum design proves. George Segal is also an art world heavyweight. In the back-to-the-cities movement, Youngstown has a lot going for it. If enough critical mass is created, Youngstown seems to have a lot of room for downtown living. Vacant and underutilized buildings could be converted for condos and lofts with commercial mixed-use on the ground floors. These grand buildings were built to last a century or longer and will, with proper care. Is the 19th century wood frame church in the black and white images still standing? It too is a rare survivor and should be saved (from demolition) if possible.  Nice to see the large towered Queen Anne style house shown in another thread is still around too. Thanks for a nice set!

Thanks for the comments, John S. I took the photos on August 21, and haven't been back in Youngstown since then. I assume the wood church is still standing, although as I remember it's surrounded by parking lot. It's right across the street from St. Columba's and just up from the Industry & Labor center.

 

I'm not holding my breath waiting to see a lot of residential conversion in former commercial space either in Youngstown or in most other cities for quite a while. In fact, I think we'll see a lot of works-in-progress suddenly grinding to a halt. Virtually all that kind of development has been sustained by the illusion that wealth can be created by creating and manipulating financial instruments, and the fallacy of that notion has suddenly become inescapable. We've experienced the dismantling of our manufacturing base and the looting of assets from our industrial economy, and it's going to take a while to get things running again. When we do, we'll relearn what we once knew; there's a need for bankers and brokers and lawyers and financial advisors, but there's no such thing as a functioning economy that impoverishes everyone else so that they can have all the money.

 

The so-called services economy is like a bunch of people sitting around a table and starting with a wad of money, passing it around and each one taking some, until it's all gone. Wealth is only created by applying labor to raw materials to produce tangible, useful goods. Some examples are mining, agriculture, and refining of metals and turning them into the necessities of human life.

 

OK. I kind of got on a roll there, but I'm not sorry.

</rant>

Thanks for the fix!

Here's a link to some pics i took at Mill Creek Park this summer http://www.city-data.com/forum/5101317-post30.html

Awesome set, Rob!!!

 

Next Saturday, I’ll be in Youngstown watching Kelly Pavlik with my Mom & Dad! Go Kelly make us proud!

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,17453.0.html

Some friends of mine, a band called The Breezeway, used to play at Cedar's quite often before they lost some guys and moved to Nashville.

I assume that the striking building seen as you come down the hill and across the bridge on Mahoning Avenue (2nd photo) wasn't always UHaul. Does anyone know the story behind it? It's a great building and makes a really dramatic visual statement.

 

One of my first thoughts was that UHaul needed a really big facility to serve all the people leaving town as the steel mills closed. :cry:

It has been Uhaul for a long time. When I was a kid, it was a Borden Dairy factory. I'm not sure if that was its original use though. I'll see if my parents know.

 

Edit:

 

It was built as an Isaly dairy plant.

 

"Isaly Dairy to Spend $400,000 on Mahoning Ave. Plant," The Youngstown Vindicator, Oct. 9, 1938.

Rob,

I looked at a bird's-eye view map on MSN and found the historic frame church on Elm Street is a rare survivor completely surrounded by modern construction and parking lots. As far as it's chances for long term survival, I'm afraid the church doesn't have a prayer in its current location. Just for clarity, my previous posting about downtown living potential was made with the future in mind. I'm aware that with the current "restructuring" (sounds better than "Depression" doesn't it?) going on in the national economy, efforts to bring people back to downtown will be slow and deliberate. However, the exodus from suburbia back to downtown is a national trend and will only gain momentum in the coming years. 

http://youngstownpride.blogspot.com/2005_03_01_archive.html

http://www.brianbutko.com/isaly.media.html

Ohmygosh! How utterly perfect for a dairy plant, especially considering the time when it was built. All sleek and gleaming-clean. How that must have stood out in comparison with the grittiness of the steel industry!

 

I remember visiting a dairy as a kid in 4-H when I was about 14. I thought it was the most beautiful place ever, with the cream-colored glazed-block walls and red tile floors and all the stainless-steel pipes and tanks, and everything spotlessly clean.

 

Isaly's was a big outfit, with branches in other cities. I vaguely remember an Isaly's creamery that stood in Fort Wayne on Main Street at Broadway, diagonally opposite St. Joseph's Hospital and just west of Henry's tavern. It was torn down to build the present Fort Wayne Newspapers building.

 

... Just for clarity, my previous posting about downtown living potential was made with the future in mind. I'm aware that with the current "restructuring" (sounds better than "Depression" doesn't it?) going on in the national economy, efforts to bring people back to downtown will be slow and deliberate. However, the exodus from suburbia back to downtown is a national trend and will only gain momentum in the coming years. 

 

Yeah. Like I said, I got on a roll there. I like the idea of people leaving the burbs and returning to the city's core, and there are definite environmental and social advantages to people living in dense multiple dwellings instead of two adults and one or two or no kids rattling around in 4,000 square feet with a three-car garage on two-and-a-half acres with a ten-mile commute. I just hope that the resolution of the financial crisis is allowed to take enough time to bring about a major reboot of our cultural values and an insistence upon a return to discipline and order, and that we don't just borrow a bunch more from the future in order to put off until later an even bigger collapse.

 

Oops. There I go again. Shut up, Robert!

Christ, what a great thread!

 

 

^Ohio State has a very similar "sculpture."

 

 

The University of Dayton also has a sculpture that looks basically identical to that.

http://www.robertpence.com/oh_youngstown/20080821-0027.jpg

 

Is that Uhaul building abandoned?

Is that Uhaul building abandoned?

 

No.  It's certainly under-utilized.  But not abandoned.

Bump. Broke a bunch of links again, and just now fixed them.

Wow, thanks for the bump. Characteristically excellent work here. It's always a great pleasure to see a city through your eyes and lens! Especially a place like Youngstown.

Thanks. I had let this thread languish after I reorganized my web site and broke the links, and thought there might have been people who missed it the first time around, or who joined the site since 2008. I'd like to revisit the city; I hear that it's slowly showing signs of new life downtown.

 

I wish I had seen Youngstown in the sixties, when the industries were still strong and the downtown still was thriving.