youngstown ohio august 21, 2008

Youngstown, Ohio

August 21, 2008

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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 areas.

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 the people I met were friendly and hospitable

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

The striking former Isaly's Dairy Plant was built in 1938 at a cost of $400,000.

Oh, Really?

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

Amtrak's Three Rivers last stopped in Youngstown March 8, 2005

According to Urbanohio.com forum member JRC, the brick building was designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham.

The Stambaugh Building, designed by Detroit architect Albert Kahn.

Also designed by Albert Kahn.

Mahoning County Courthouse

The tall brick building is the Wick building, also designed by Daniel Burnham.

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.

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 Liberty-Paramount Theater, designed by Detroit Architect C. Howard Crane.

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.