By Edward P. Noga
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Let me begin with a little history.
Our two beloved downtown Youngstown department stores, McKelvey’s (later Higbee’s) and Strouss (later Kaufmann’s) closed in 1982 and 1986, respectively. This chapter of how downtown America lost its big department stores has been played out “from sea to shining sea.” The modern advent of strip plazas and malls was part of the death knell for those large, multilevel stores where one could spend the day shopping for whatever and not leave until late evening when the doors closed. Interestingly enough, the strip plazas and malls have recently been going through their own not-so-positive changes.
In 1985, a dedicated group of Italians started the Italian Fest right in the center of downtown. As retail outlets and people were exiting the central city, a community festival provided something of an antidote, drawing people back downtown for fun, music, great food and cultural history. We are grateful for their tenacity.
To be clear, the festival has had its own changes over the years. They did a stint at the Canfield Fairgrounds. Sadly, but understandably, the festival was canceled in 2024 because of the Realty Tower tragedy. So festival organizers know the human dimension of change, but the festival’s history is filled with chapters that have brought thousands of people each year into the city center. Bravo!
For decades now, we have been blessed with a wonderful theater on the western edge of our major downtown street, and, in recent years, the east end of downtown has boasted a steel-mill-era building converted into an event center. And we still have the monthly Youngstown Flea.
Then there is our river that runs through Warren and makes its way through Niles, Girard, Youngstown, Campbell, Struthers and Lowellville. Major dam removal, shoreline development and a new vision, highlighted in the Eastgate Council of Government’s video entitled Mahoning River Corridor Revitalization, is bringing new life to a river which, for decades, was used for one purpose and one purpose only: to service the steel industry. This past July, Gov. Mike DeWine came to the Valley and paddled down the river, hailing it as a community connector in this part of the state.
In Youngstown, part of the river development has included the Covelli Centre for sporting, entertainment and other community events. Its presence and worth are undeniable. Accompanying Covelli are Wean Park and the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre. On its website the amphitheater proudly states, “Our Events Making Your Memories.”
In recent times, community events, complete with tents and bandstands, have been held on the wide-open Commerce and Phelps streets. In addition, Oh Wow! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology annually holds a huge family-friendly gathering under the Market Street Bridge. The very popular Simply Slavic Festival has recently committed to a multiyear presence at the amphitheater, and a jazz festival has been part of the amphitheater calendar along with some Juneteenth events.
As with many central cities, our high-rise buildings and those across the country are now becoming multistory neighborhoods of sorts, as they are repurposed and transformed into living spaces. It’s happening right now in two of Youngstown’s tallest buildings. Who would have thought?
Might it be time to let our square be the square? Let our precious downtown hotel not be bottlenecked during busy summer weekends? With the recent traffic pattern altered downtown, might this not be the time to allow the streets to be streets? Millions of dollars have helped to redevelop our river and the southern portion of downtown with plenty of parking and plenty of space. Millions more have been expended to change our downtown street grid.
Please understand that I enjoy the occasional stroll through smaller city and town street fairs. They are wonderful events. But most of these venues are not centers where people actually live.
In this downtown dweller’s opinion, we need to be a little more appreciative of those who live downtown, of those who are the bankers downtown, of the government folks who lead our communities from downtown, of the restaurants that are present, of those just passing through on our new streets and of those staying with us at our beautiful downtown hotel. Much of what I’ve mentioned was not even in the picture in 1985.
We are happily writing the new chapters of many downtowns in our nation. How blessed we are to have wide open, welcoming spaces within easy walking distance of downtown proper. Thankfully, their maintenance has been a priority, and there needs to be continued enhancement with new parking areas, easy access roads and increased electric capacity for vendors and entertainers. New neighborhoods are evolving within and outside our cities. Our downtowns are increasingly becoming our newest neighborhoods.
