Flashback Minis: Boardman Plaza Sign

As the suburban population grew in the Mahoning Valley during the 1950s and ’60s, shopping trends began to change. With small downtown shops becoming less convenient, shopping centers like the Boardman Plaza became more popular.

Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. opened the plaza in 1951. The Boardman Plaza sign, which marked the center’s entrance until 2005, now hangs inside the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s Tyler History Center in downtown Youngstown.