Of all the buildings downtown, none represent Youngstown better than the Central Tower.
Question: Name the man who was the prime mover in its construction.
Question: What was the original name of the Central Tower?
Was it originally called the "Metropolitan Tower", TownTalk?
:)
The architectural firm was Scheibel & Shaffer, the same architects who designed the Realty Building. (They were also the architect for Chaney HS - we joked in the office that Mr. Scheibel lost his touch, and must have been ready for retirement by then)
Here is an interesting document about them:
http://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/AIA%20scans/Rosters/ScheibelShaffer_roster.pdf
Look at #8c. They called the project Central Savings & Loan.
Here's another link about the building:
http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/youngstown/youngstown.html
--edit--
I'm assuming you had someone else in mind when you asked for the "prime mover in its construction?"
Right westsider but who commissioned the building?
Wrong Allan that was not the original name of the building.
The name of the man who commissioned the building was a well known man who all will recognize when I give the answers.
Clue: It was not the Wick's or Tod's.
Morris Scheibel was also the architect who designed my apartment building - he and his wife, Rose
lived in apartment #2 for two years after the building was finished. When they moved from the
building, they got a house (or had one built?) in the 1500 block of Elm Street.
Morris Scheibel also designed, and was a member of, Rodef Shalom Temple.
:)
Since the building was originally built for the Central Savings and Loan Co., I would have thought it would have been known as Central Tower originally.
You're warm Rick, but not precisely right according to the publicity photo.
By the way, the lable used in the picture was mine since that is the common name everyone used. It was not the original official name.
The official name of the Central Tower when built was The Central Savings and Loan Building.
Westsider posted a document that shows that name, but sadly missed it.
The caption on the photo also used the Central Savings and Loan Building as the name.
Now please try for the second part of the question. Who commissioned the building.
Here's the answer to the second part of the question:
A.E. Reinmann President
Board of Directors
J. P. Colleran
Fred A. Hartenstein
S.A. Pfau
C.A. Manchester
S.A. Arnold
Harry Parrock
Sam Peacock
Harry Ewing
H.L. Beard
C.T. Geiger
W.C. Conger
Fred J. Heim
Howard E. Knight
V.C. Bassinger
Note: Fred A Hartenstein was a former Youngstown Mayor.