Tag: Ohio

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.

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.

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.

With profound gratitude extended to Downtown Mansfield Inc. and Preservation Ohio, hundreds of residents were afforded the opportunity to delve into Mansfield, Ohio’s rich history through a series of guided tours encompassing five significant sites within walking distance. The first installment of this five-part series spotlights the City Mills Building.

Caesar Creek School, located in Caesar Creek Township in rural Greene County, Ohio, was constructed as a high school in 1908. It began serving elementary students in 1927, and a small addition was constructed in 1957 that included two classrooms, two indoor restrooms and a gymnasium. Caesar Creek closed in 1967.

Instead of seeking out nature’s splendors amidst the highlands of West Virginia or the horse farms of Kentucky, I embarked on a journey to document the derelict abandonments scattered across our region. There is an undeniable beauty to be found in these forgotten structures, a visual poetry in the peeling paint and rusting machinery that echoes the grandeur of stately trees and grazing livestock.

When discourse arises concerning the declining fortunes of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, and its inner-ring suburbs, many are quick to lament the vacant stretches of sidewalks, devoid of pedestrian activity, and the boarded-up storefronts, waxing nostalgic about the halcyon days of the 1950s and 1960s.