Law and Order

Youngstown Police Force of 1885
Standing, Left to Right: Philip Eberhard, John Kelley, Edward Merriman, Geo. Moyer, William McMillan, W. Williams, M. Kennedy, Elias Jones.
Sitting, Left to Right: Samuel Ward, David Evans, William Williams, J. W. Lindesmith.
(from “History of the Police Department of Youngstown, Ohio.” Youngstown, OH: Board of Public Safety, 1906)

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Youngstown Vindicator, Oct 23, 1934
Melvin Purvis and Charles 'Pretty Boy' Floyd

Blvd. of Broken Dreams

No more. This is West Federal Street looking east.

Going up and coming down

While I was home this weekend I was able to snap a few pictures around Youngstown. Two buildings in particular are worth sharing. The first is the new music hall next to Powers Auditorium. The Beecher Flad Pavilion is comprised of a new 600-seat auditorium for orchestra, brass, and choral performances; new kitchen facilities, new dressing rooms, expanded loading docks, and soundproofing so that Powers and the new auditorium can be used simultaneously.



The second building is slated for demolition soon. The Youngstown Sheet and Tube office building is located on Martin Luther King near Division Street. The city currently has control of the building, which it obtained in March 2006. This photo was taken from the new ramp from Division Street ramp onto Robinwood. I think so, anyway. No online map has been updated to show the new streets.

The Saturday Photo Upload

You'll Find 'Em Plump in Youngstown! What the hell does that mean? I don't know, but this early postcard is pretty funny.


I'm not sure what the Tad Fithian Agency did or where these offices were located, but it was in Youngstown.

Update: YP-
My guess is that the Tad Fithian is the modern day Fithian Contracting Co., on Market Street near the Sparkle. I think it's the same building as the one in the picture, although it's been renovated somewhat over the years.
-MM (MightyMahoning)


Stone's Restaraunt was located in downtown Youngstown in the 1950's. Sorry that this is a photo of a postcard.


Last, but not least, Parkway Towers looks very grand in this postcard. The Towers still exist at the corner of Park and Fifth.

Go Penguins!

I try to keep this blog as politically correct as possible, with historic photos and articles on Youngstown's redevelopment, but that is not always possible. On that note, I present two instances where I recently have seen some representation of the Youngstown State Penguins in my travels. The first was at a friend's graduation from Loyola University of Chicago this past weekend. Low and behold, hanging from the rafters of LUC's Gentile Center was a red and white banner celebrating, or perhaps simply showing, YSU's participation in the Horizon League basketball conference. There is nothing I appreciated more than seeing a little bit of home 400 miles away.

The second time was just yesterday when I happened to be at the barber shop. Of course no self respecting barber would dare open his shop without a fine selection of magazines to keep waiting customers happy. On this particular day, the latest issue of Maxim happened to be out. While I am generally more interested in the random facts and party jokes, I happened to open to page 32 to find June's 'Campus Cutie.'

Enjoy!
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From Maxim Online
Chill out with this sexy Penguin from Youngstown State.
Name: Heather
Birthdate: June 28, 1983
School: Youngstown State University
Major: Business
Future Job: Start my own makeup company

Harding Elementary - 1929

5th grade, Mrs. Bell's Class at Harding School in Youngstown, OH, about 1929 or 1930.

Carolyn Loewit Kovsky (1919-1994) is in the second row, fifth girl to the left. Her cousin, Jean Brunswick Wolff (1919-1999) is in the third row, first girl to the left.

Carolyn was the daughter of George Loewit (1889-1962) and Sadye Friedman Loewit (1888-1968. Jean was the daughter of Max Brunswick Sr. (1879-1930) and Dorothy Friedman Brunswick (1885-1973).

The rest of children are unknown.

The Rice Hotel

The new Rice Hotel, located opposite the Republic Rubber Works, Youngstown, OH, was being built in 1912 when this photo was taken.

The Mahoning Valley Thunder?

Apparently using the word 'Youngstown' in naming a sports team does not have the appeal of say, 'Mahoning Valley.' For the second time, a minor league sports team has moved to the area with 'Mahoning Valley' in the name. First were the Scrappers, now we are proud to introduce the Mahoning Valley Thunder, our new af2 indoor arena football team. Some pics of the presser are below.

It appears that this team will be a direct competitor for marketing with the Mahoning Valley Hitmen, an apparent hack arena football team playing at the Ice Zone in Boardman. Please check out http://mightymahoning.blogspot.com for more on that debacle!


Congressman Tim Ryan provided some remarks during the event.


The new logo of the Mahoning Valley Thunder.

Good ole days

Seventy-eight years before I graduated from Ursuline, this stellar group of young lads and lasses was walking the halls of 'the old building.' This is the Ursuline High School class of 1922. They missed World War I by just three years but they suffered the depression and most likely sent their own children off to World War II. The stories they could tell, if still alive today, I'm sure could fill volumes.

Fat Man Walking

15 pair of shoes, 12 pairs of pants, three shirts, 30 pairs of socks.

That is what Youngstown native Steve Vaught (born Stephen James Liller) has worn through on his walk across the United States. Today Steve will walk across the George Washington Bridge, entering New York City over a year after he left San Diego. He has battled sore legs and knees, bad weather, and poor diet among other difficulties, but he has perservered. He has lost over 100 pounds, and although that was his primary reason for the walk, he says he has gained a lot more in insight and perspective into himself and the world. If you want to follow the path of a fellow Youngstowner, granted you have one day to do it, or read more about his journey, you can find more about him at Fat Man Walking.

Local building honored in national magazine

A Youngstown candy maker invented the Good Humor Bar

By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR

YOUNGSTOWN — A downtown building is honored in today's Parade magazine for being one of the places that helped shape America's history and culture.

The three-story building at 325 W. Federal St. was where Harry Burt created the Good Humor Bar, the nation's first ice cream on a stick.

The 11 sites selected by the Sunday magazine and the National Trust for Historic Preservation will receive a plaque, while one site — a Virginia resettlement community built by blacks during the Depression — earned a $50,000 restoration grant.

Who nominated it?

Ronald Faniro, a Youngstown architect, nominated the Youngstown building in an essay contest run by Parade last year.

He said he hoped to bring recognition to a significant event in Youngstown's history that isn't widely known. Now that the building has wider recognition, Faniro hopes it is more likely to be preserved.

He said the building owner, Jeff Clark, has maintained the building well, but a historical plaque should ensure the building receives attention in future years.

"This should be considered as one of America's treasures, right here in Youngstown," he said.

Clark operates Ross Radio, an electronics equipment store, from the building. Faniro, whose company specializes in preserving historical buildings, said this building is one of several that make up one of the nation's best collections of terra cotta facades. These buildings were designed by some of the leading architects of the time, he said.

Good Humor history

Faniro said he nominated the building because he knew the Good Humor Bar had national recognition.

In 1920, Burt was running an ice cream parlor and candy-making business when he created a smooth chocolate coating that was compatible with ice cream.

He decided the combination was too messy, but his son, Harry Jr., suggested freezing wooden sticks into the ice cream.

Burt called his creation the Good Humor Bar, capitalizing on the belief then that a person's "humor," or temperament, was related to the humor of the palate, or sense of taste. He received a patent three years later.

Burt sent out a fleet of 12 chauffeur-driven trucks, complete with bells, to market his product. After he died in 1926, his wife, Cora, sold franchises at $100 each and the ice cream treats became known throughout the Midwest.

The Good Humor Corp. of America was formed to acquire the patents and consolidate operations, and a New York investor, M.J. Meehan, acquired 75 percent of its shares in 1930.

The fleet of Good Humor trucks expanded in the 1950s and 1960s, as the Meehan family sold the company in 1961 to the Thomas J. Lipton Co., now a subsidiary of Unilever.

The direct-selling business was phased out in 1976, in favor of sales at stores. The Good Humor trucks that remain on the road today are owned by ice cream distributors or private individuals.

For more on Harry Burt and the Good Humor Bar, check out these links:
National Archives article
Wikipedia article
Ice Cream USA

Spend your life in bed? OK!

I try not to post non-Youngstown related material, but I saw this on CNN this morning and thought others might enjoy it. Erin (don't know her last name) is a women participating in a NASA study at the Cleveland Clinic who basically has to spend 12 weeks in bed. Actually, she is strapped into a harness hanging more or less horizontally with her head down at a 6 degree angle. She is blogging about her whole experience here: http://stardustholiday.blogspot.com/

The Paramount Theater

Word on the street is that an Illinois firm, Grand Venues, has bought the Paramount Theater. They plan to turn the building into a performance space and theater. They paid $79,900 for it with renovations estimated to cost $3.5 million. They hope to have the building open within two to three years. Check out the article in the Vindy to read more about the upcoming work.

Looking for a home? Try eBay!

If you have something to sell, eBay is the place to sell it. The online auction house has almost everything - including eight Youngstown homes which are on the market. Want a fixer-upper? Try this house on East Chalmers. It has vinyl siding! For only a few thousand bucks, you can own one of these lovely homes on Chalmers, Garland, Pearl, Ravewood, LaClede, and Saranac. They all need work and are located in neighborhoods which I would classify as blighted, but I didn't see one that couldn't be renovated and rented or sold as a single family home. The potential for the price is there. Seven of the eight are selling for the $11,000 or less. The eighth house is my favorite however. Not the house itself, but the ad: Almost Austintown! Youngstown West Bungalow. Almost in Austintown? I'm sorry to report that in this day and age, living in Youngstown is better than living in Austintown. Youngstown's renaissance is just beginning. Austintown is entering the Dark Ages. Plus, at $69,900, you could by a much nicer house in the North Heights neighborhood on the North Side.

In the Pittsburgh/Youngstown, Ohio, district, steel companies produced 188,000 net tons for the week ended April 22. That was up from the 184,000 net tons they made the prior week, AISI data shows.

The Incredible Shrinking City

Belinda Lanks of Metropolismag.com published an interesting story last week on the shrinking nature of Youngstown. She ends by pegging Youngstown as a future bedroom community to Cleveland and Pittsburgh, a parting gift to a once-roaring steel town. While thinking of Youngstown as a bedroom community like Parma or Mayfield Heights makes me shudder, the reality is that this is possible. The demise of industry in Youngstown has made it difficult for anything else to step up in its place and lead to a revitalized city. Check out the article at Metropolismag.com and thanks to ShoutYoungstown for originally posting the link.

WYTV Moves Downtown (Sort of)

According to downtownyoungstown.com, WFMJ will now have a little competition with its downtown news broadcasts. WYTV has worked out a partnership with the Bean Counter Cafe on E. Federal Street to begin broadcasting part of its morning program from the cafe. The Bean Counter is currently expanding their facility to include a larger seating area and a full bar.

“The end goal was never to close Northside, although continued financial losses could give us no other choice.” From the Forum Flash, the employee newsletter for Forum Health employees, April 24, 2006.

Board to vote on fare increase

The Youngstown-based bus service now has about 6,300 daily riders.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Faced with a potential $1.5 million deficit, layoffs and service cuts loom for the Western Reserve Transit Authority, and the WRTA board will vote next month on the system's first fare increase since 1999.

Jim Ferraro, WRTA executive director, said the board also may ask voters to approve a sales tax. He said most transit systems in Ohio are funded with a sales tax.

Without more public money, staff and service cuts are imminent, including the possible loss of the increasingly popular night bus service, he said.

The board has scheduled a public hearing at 9 a.m. Friday to gather public input on the proposed fare increases.

The meeting will be in the board room at WRTA's administrative offices, 604 Mahoning Ave. The board also will accept comments in writing from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through May 5.

Under the proposal, student fares will continue to be 75 cents, and the cost of student coupon books will remain the same at $35 for 50 tickets. Zone fares will still be free.

Adult coupon books will increase by $12.50, from $50 to $62.50 for each book of 50 tickets. Other changes in pass fares include a $6 increase in adult passes from $32 to $38, and a $3 increase in passes for elderly and disabled riders from $16 to $19 per month.

Adult fares will increase 25 cents from $1 to $1.25. Fares for the elderly and disabled will increase 10 cents, from 50 cents to 60 cents.

Transfers, currently free, will be 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for elderly and disabled riders. Trolley fares, currently 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for elderly and disabled riders, will be 30 cents and 15 cents, respectively.

Special-services fares, currently $1, will be $2. There will be a new special-services option of a monthly pass for $38.

What's behind this

Ferraro said loss of federal funding and increases in insurance, diesel fuel and natural gas could result in a deficit as much as $1.5 million.

"Sometimes there is a decrease in ridership after a fare increase," Ferraro said. "We don't want to do anything that would drastically affect ridership, but there was no way we could anticipate these fuel prices."

"We never dreamed we'd be looking at $2.12 a gallon when we did the budget," said Tom Nugen, director of transportation. "And $2.12 a gallon doesn't include taxes or insurance."

Nugen said in 2004, WRTA paid an average of $1.07 per gallon for bus fuel. In January 2002, the per-gallon price was 69 cents.

Ferraro said the last load of fuel was $2.12 a gallon. WRTA takes fuel shipments every six days, now at a cost of $20,000 per load, with a $250 surcharge on each delivery.

He said if ridership stays the same, the revenue from the fare increases — about $300,000 at best — still won't be enough to cover operating expenses.

Ferraro said loss of federal funding, the effects of hurricanes Rita and Katrina on shipping, and soaring fuel prices have created a perfect storm of financial disaster just as ridership eclipsed the board's goal of 6,000 daily riders in March.

"It's sad this happens just as we finally reach 6,000 riders," he said. "We average about 6,300 riders on weekdays. Some people might not believe that, but the fare boxes don't lie."

"We're not happy with what we have to do," Ferraro added. "More and more people depend on WRTA to get to and from work."

Ferraro said many buses are at capacity with people standing in the aisles.

Here's an example

"We just had the driver of the Market Street bus call and tell us he couldn't pick up anyone. He was totally full leaving the station," Ferraro said. "He said he had people standing clear up to the fare box. That bus seats 34, so he had to have at least 50 people on that bus.

"We sent another bus out behind him to pick up people until people started getting off and there was room on his bus."

Ferraro said WRTA faces a loss of $800,000 to $900,000 just in funding cuts alone.

He said funding from one federal grant aimed at helping people have transportation to and from work, for example, was just $266,000 this year, and WRTA had to split that with transit authorities in two other communities. Previously the same grant provided WRTA with $750,000; now there's no guarantee of any funding from that grant, he said.

Two levies approved by voters in November 2005 generate about $2 million annually, but the levies were renewals, so they don't generate any new money, Ferraro added.

tullis@vindy.com

Snap the Whip!

I have to admit that something here in D.C. recently made me proud of Youngstown. I made a trip to the National Gallery of Art on the Mall to take in the Winslow Homer show they were showing (it closed at the end of February). Homer is one of the eminent American artists and his works capture American life, from the hardships of the Civil War to longshoremen rescuing drowning sailors in the Northeast, in ways that other artists can only attempt. His most famous work perhaps, is Snap the Whip, detailing the game that young kids play in an attempt to send their friends flying across a field. Certainly no show on Homer would be complete without this painting and yet, it wasn't present. I knew why. The Butler wasn't about to give it up! This piece has the good fortune of being a gem in Youngstown, as part of the permanent collection of the Butler Institute of American Art. The Butler's collection is currently at 20,000 pieces of American art, including paintings, statues, and photography. If you haven't been there recently, I recommend checking it out. They are currently exhibiting several shows in The Beecher Center, housed in the south wing of the Butler's Youngstown location. It is the first museum addition dedicated solely to new media and electronic art.