By Edward P. Noga
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Have you ever listened to Leonard Bernstein’s “Times Square” piece? It’s a little more than five minutes of high-spirited, lively and somewhat raucous music that easily lets your mind picture the title’s bustling locale, a famous landmark in New York, affectionately referred to as “the city that never sleeps.”
Most would agree that whether it’s a small gazebo in a rural community or a major monument in a large city, the town square automatically conjures up the notion of a focal point or gathering space.
Here at home, in downtown Youngstown, at the corner of Hazel and West Federal streets, a window sign proudly proclaims five words that are the title of this article: “Architecture is in full bloom.”
On a sunny day, the words are complemented by the lush flowers and foliage that were planted just a few weeks ago. In the case of the flowers lining the downtown streets, the notion of “full bloom” is supported not only by the dedicated volunteers (nearly 1,000 this year) who prepared the soil and did the actual planting but also by the Youngstown CityScape workers who regularly pull the weeds and water the plants throughout the summer growing season. We are grateful for their vision and dedication.
I sadly remember decades ago when city leaders were approached by the fledgling Streetscape/CityScape organization. The startup group was looking for moral support and some monetary backing. I say “sadly” because I was at some of the meetings when comments were made that the city could handle the situation itself. Sad, indeed, was the lack of insight and the waste of cooperative potential, caused mostly by “tunnel vision.”
Getting back to the architects and other community leaders who look ahead for ideas and partners to work with, a prime example is the current buzz concerning a major part of the city’s Central Square.
The Realty Tower explosion last year and the recent suggestion that the downtown Eastern Gateway parking deck is probably destined for demolition are both items we would rather not have on our agenda; nevertheless, the possibility of recreating a substantial part of our city center is absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The possibilities are endless, and the opportunities for creative development can transform our city. The time for dialogue and discussion of ideas is upon us so that a feasible and funded plan can be developed, reviewed and set on a timeline. The opportunity to invite and engage downtown stakeholders into the “visioning” process is crucial since the stakeholders are interacting with folks on the streets downtown every day.
The day-to-day operation of any community is always demanding. Agenda items for any given day can easily be replaced by emergencies and last-minute distractions. These are reminders, though, of the absolute necessity to make the time for planning, discussion, review and more planning. For this impending development of an area with great potential, a haphazard and hasty decision could be detrimental, if not deadly, in the refurbishment of this major portion of the Central Square area.
The corner of the square in question was dominated by Realty Tower. The structure’s imposing architectural features certainly complemented the multistory structures on the other three corners of the square. How many photos, videos and advertisement posters over the years have featured the imposing structures that have long surrounded the Man on the Monument?
At this juncture, this writer feels that no one person or entity can make the best decision as to what will fill the southeast corner of our city’s center.
The eventual decision will be a major, generational decision that will be as substantive and long-lasting as the very structures that are located on Central Square. Think about it! Whatever fills this void will stand beside buildings that were designed by visionary architects during the first two decades of the 20th century. These structures are imposing, durable and historical. Many similar structures in cities like Warren, East Liverpool, Ashtabula, Canton and New Castle, Pa., are true monuments in their communities. They are the hub of a wheel whose spokes reach out into the neighborhoods we call home.
On a personal note, I can recall being in grade school when John F. Kennedy visited the Youngstown/Warren area in 1960 while running for president. The central squares were jammed with thousands of people. Even now, a casual look back at pictures or movie footage of that visit evokes a thrill as we realize that history was being made that day.
Those who spend years in architectural schools and internship programs are professionals who become part of the very heartbeat of communities. They dream, conceptualize and produce plans for the creation of structures that become part of the identity of these cities and towns.
Architecture is in full bloom!
What tremendous benefits it provides for the communities where all of us live and work.