Author: Sherman Cahal

April 2, 2013 / News

Nestled in the Westwood neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, at 2918 Werk Road, stood the Gamble House, an imposing 2 1/2-story, 13-room residence that embodied the grandeur of the Queen Anne style.

March 19, 2013 / Explorations
March 1, 2013 / News
February 27, 2013 / News

In a turn of events that serves as a sobering lesson on the perils of shortsighted development, The Foundry at South Strabane, a retail development near Washington, Pennsylvania, faces an ominous fate – demolition.

February 15, 2013 / Explorations

The opportunity to document a significant industrial site facing the threat of demolition is a rare occurrence, as most sites are inaccessible due to security concerns, reluctant owners or property managers, or liability issues. However, nestled in a corner at the junction of Lisbon and Evins streets in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad and the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) converged, stood a collection of businesses that left an indelible mark on Cleveland’s history, growth, and influence.

February 12, 2013 / Explorations
January 17, 2013 / Explorations
January 11, 2013 / Explorations

The Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad (DT&I) is a defunct railroad that began in southern Ohio as the Iron Railroad Company, which connected Ironton to the coal and timber reserves in the southern part of the state. Through acquisitions and mergers, the DT&I stretched for over 370 miles from Ironton to the automobile manufacturing plants in Michigan

January 4, 2013 / Explorations

This Queen Anne-styled building at 2313 East 55th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, was not only a residence but home to several businesses and murders.

January 2, 2013 / Explorations

For far too long, cities across the United States have treated the rehabilitation of historic properties as an afterthought, a pursuit undertaken only when a neighborhood has reached a critical juncture, with precious few buildings remaining, or when the inexorable tide of gentrification has already set in motion. But what fate befalls those structures that lie beyond the purview of future restoration initiatives, left to the ravages of neglect, stripped of their essence, and destined to collapse under the weight of their own decrepitude?

November 30, 2012 / Explorations
November 29, 2012 / Explorations

The Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, once the world’s largest magazine publishing house, once boasted its printing operations in Springfield, Ohio.

October 23, 2012 / Explorations

While exploring Virginia’s back roads, I came upon the former New River, Holston and Western Railroad (NH&W) that once extended from the Norfolk & Western (N&W) at Narrows on the New River in Giles County to the village of Suiter in Bland County, Virginia. The 43-mile line followed Wolf Creek or its tributaries for its entire length.

September 24, 2012 / Explorations

The Paramount Theatre is located in Youngstown, Ohio and was originally known as the Liberty Theatre. Designed by Detroit architect C. Howard Crane, with Stanley & Scheibel serving as associate architects, the vaudeville house opened on February 11, 1918 with the production of “A Modern Musketeer.” The late Neo-classical, Ecole des Beaux Arts exterior featured terra cotta ornamentation, while the interior featured ornate plaster detailing and 1,700 seats.

September 18, 2012 / Explorations

There is a lot of commonality between Youngstown, Ohio and the Ohio River valley that I grew up within near Ironton. Both are areas that have experienced major employment losses, either due to a declining steel mill or other heavy industries; both are areas that have experienced population declines in the cities; both are areas that are impoverished. But the severity of Youngstown’s losses are hard to compare to.

August 17, 2012 / Explorations
July 20, 2012 / Explorations
July 18, 2012 / Explorations

If the weathered facades of the industrial structures lining Ashland Road in Cleveland, Ohio, could speak, they would regale us with tales of a rich and multifaceted history. Despite the paucity of readily available information and the occasional misinterpretation stemming from firsthand accounts and urban exploration, the complex’s narrative proves more intricate and captivating than initially envisioned. Though a wealth of materials has been uncovered, certain gaps remain unresolved, adding an air of mystery to this chronicle.

July 5, 2012 / Explorations
June 13, 2012 / Explorations