Endangered Buildings List to Be Released

[jay]

The endangered buildings list will be released at an event in March.   Those who have been active in historic preservation should receive their invitation later this week.

[lulu12]

There are many buildings downtown and outside of the Downtown area that need to be taken care of. Too many buildings are boarded up and should be torn down or be renovated. I also feel that the U-haul building needs to be worked on but torn down? No I do not think so. That building has been there longer than I can remember. It is not in that bad of shape. At least it is being used! Unlike some of the buildings down town. I have been in the U-haul building and it does not warrent being torn down. It is structually sound as far as I am concerned. The Elevator is a little scarry, but what old one is not? There are buildings in far off worse shape than it, take on the West side, before the bridge into Youngstown. Most every one of those buildings looks like they should be condemed!

[Shar]

Thank you Rick!!!!

[Rick Rowlands]

Watch out there WickPark Log Runner.  Thats a historic building, easily as historic as any of the buildings on the endangered list.  Just because its industrial history and not architectural history is no good reason to demolish it.

That building also has tenants who are paying Youngstown city income taxes and county property taxes.  Its a contributing member of the community.

What makes it historic?  Well the oldest part of the complex dates from before 1900 and was built as part of the William Tod Company, a foundry and machine shop which built some of the largest rolling mill steam engines ever built. Industrial activity on that site began in 1856 when Homer Hamilton started a foundry and machine shop on the site.  In 1916 the complex was purchased by United Engineering and Foundry and went on to be the birthplace of much of the rolling mill machinery that made Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Cleveland and Chicago major steelmaking centers.   Without the engines built in that building Bethlehem Steel could not have powered their Grey wide flange beam mill which rolled much of the steel for the Golden Gate bridge.  Did you know that the operating mechanisms for the Panama Canal lock gates were designed, poured, machined and assembled in that building?  Did you know that the engines that powered the very first Ferris Wheel which was erected for the 1896 Chicago Exposition was made in that building?

See its not an "eyesore" that should come down.  Its an important landmark which has stood since before much of the current downtown structures were built.  We should celebrate our past, not continue to destroy it.

[jay]

The Salvation Army Building

The Salvation Army Building was visually in fairly good shape until only a year ago.  Members of this board noted the theft of windows and other vandalism and tried to get the problem fixed before it got worse.  Our efforts can be found archived at this link.
http://ytownpc.com/forum2/index.php?topic=134.0
You are able to see in some of the photos that the windows were still intact last year.

Note:  The Salvation Army Building was originally a warehouse.  All of those windows were added later in its history. 

[WickParkLogRunner]

Not being from Youngstown, the biggest eyesore that has always immediately stood out to me is the gray wharehouse right next to the Market Street Bridge along the Mahoning River.  Broken windows and just very poor looking.   City should buy out the company for relocation, tear the building down and develop the area for riverfront park development.  You're right down next to the Chevy Center for crying out loud.

[ytowner]

The old Salvation Army Building-UHaul is just a mess; if you are coming from Akron or Cleveland for a show at the Chevy Centre; that piece of crap is there. Its no use to keep. Windows are broken everywhere. No way for a nice paint job---Bye Bye and build a new one......

[jay]

I also feel an attempt should be made to list buildings outside of the downtown area.  The long list actually contains some buildings on the north side.   

Let's start a list of buildings which we think are significant and worth saving.

My contribution is the Isaly's Building on Mahoning Avenue

[Rick Rowlands]

Are there any historic buildings outside of downtown?   It seems that the curent trend is to completely ignore anything that is not downtown related as if the periphery of the city isn't worth even discussing.   

[ytowner]

PARAMOUNT THEATRE!

[jay]

The Historic Preservation/Education Committee of Cityscape is in the process of creating a list of the most endangered buildings in the downtown area of Youngstown.  The final list will be trimmed from a larger list of about 100 buildings.  After some additional research, the list of endangered buildings will be released to the public at an event planned for February 2006.