By Edward P. Noga
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Recently, as I walked in a small town on Lake Huron, I passed a house that I had passed for years during my annual vacation. I found out it has been referred to as the Century House because it is well over 100 years old.
What caught my attention on a cool August morning, as I got closer to the house I have seen dozens of times, was the obvious sign of some major construction activity. Believe me, I mean MAJOR.
Because I was approaching the site from the back end of the property, my first frightful thought was, “Someone bought the old house, tore it down, and is building a grand mansion.”
My heart sank because the Century House had so much character and was situated on a massive corner lot. The closer I got, the sadder I got, thinking that this piece of history was gone forever.
As I approached the corner, however, just before making the turn, I realized that the front end of the house remained. The wonderful brick façade with its ornate porch and doorway was still there.
As I turned the corner, I noticed that not only was the façade still there, but the front end of the two-story house remained intact.
The new construction was worked into the 100-year-old history.
Let me be clear. I am not an architect. I’m not a real estate agent and I have never owned a home. But I was absolutely awestruck that some architect/builder had blended the old with the new so well.
I stood before the structure for several minutes and marveled at the vision and creativity of someone imagining this wonderful wedding of the ancient and the up-to-date.
Interestingly enough, that portion of my morning walk coincided with me listening to one of my favorite pieces of music: George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”
Back in 1924, when the piece premiered in New York City, it was part of a program publicized as “An Experiment in Modern Music.” Yes, here was a young musician, using the standard classical music orchestra and solo piano in a concert hall. He infused the score with jazz rhythms. Its signature opening clarinet solo has been likened to another unmistakable opening, namely the first notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
As I stared at the hybrid house on Lake Huron and listened to Gershwin’s melodic rhythms, the notion of blending old and new kept racing through my mind.
When we walk through the many museums in our Valley, both large and small, and view their varieties of collected or borrowed items, aren’t we trolling through a blended world of old and new?
In the last two months, I think another example of blending history with modern endeavors arrived on our doorsteps as two of the Valley’s orchestras welcomed new conductors and music directors. Both Christopher Cicconi at the Warren Philharmonic and Sergey Bogza at the Youngstown Symphony bring new energy to their respective podiums.
In their media interviews that introduced them, both spoke of the greatness of classical music and the wonder of exploring new music. Their backgrounds include collaborative efforts, community outreach and inclusion into the musical life of schools. Their energy, enthusiasm and creativity will become part of our quality of life.
I hope this column has conjured up some of your own thoughts of being people who think of things as “both/and” rather than “either/or.” Bridging our life experiences offers more creativity and positive energy that is surely worth the extra effort. Building that bridge does take determined work and dedication.
I would like to conclude with a lyric or two from local aspiring country and western artist Sarah Turner.
About a dozen years ago, she launched her career with a song that spoke of her being proud of this area and also excited to move to Nashville. She sang enthusiastically that she was “ready to run” to new opportunities in her life.
She referenced the history of this Valley when one verse proclaimed,
My heart is spinning like a wheel
But I got dreams made of steel.
Looking back and looking forward. Blending old and new. Keeping our eyes and ears and minds and hearts open is not always easy. But the result can be a benefit of balance that lifts us up personally and communally.