YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Improvements to a long-closed bar in the Youngstown State University area that will soon reopen and the creation of an eyecatching downtown mural were approved Tuesday by the city’s design review committee.
Pogo’s Pub, 214 W. Rayen Ave., will get a series of exterior improvements, according to Beth Baker, who addressed the committee on behalf of Hadi Hadi, owner. Hadi also owns the Bull & Bear restaurants – including one just a block away from Pogo’s on Lincoln Avenue.
“It’s been closed for a long time and needs a lot of cleanup outside and updating,” Baker said of the building.
Pogo’s was a popular spot that attracted a college crowd from the 1970s through 1990s. It has been closed for over 30 years but will reopen – under the same name – after renovations are completed.
The exterior work will include replacing three large windows that have been boarded up and putting in a modern patio along the west-facing wall.
The front facade will be painted antique white, and a sign bearing the name of the pub will be fastened to it.
The east-facing wall will also be painted, and a large backlit sign will be mounted on it. Three decorative sconce lights will also be placed on the wall.
The interior of the building is currently in the midst of a complete renovation, with a new bar, flooring, and woodwork already complete. Progress on the project is occasionally posted on the bar’s Facebook page.
Hadi is a strong supporter of YSU, Baker said, and he believes it is important to reopen the business near the campus.
Downtown Mural
A mural that resembles a vintage postcard that reads “Welcome to Youngstown, Ohio,” will be painted along the side of a building at 107 W. Federal St., downtown.
It will be painted across the length of the brick side wall of the building and will be visible to drivers heading east.
Each letter will be filled in with art that depicts city scenes, including old and new industry, sports, landmarks and entertainment.
The mural is expected to be completed by the Fourth of July.
Patrick McGlone, who has painted multiple murals in the city, will oversee the project. He will paint the outline, and three local artists will fill in the art in each letter.
The mural is a project of the Economic Action Group development agency and will be part of the city’s America 250 celebration to honor the nation’s semiquincentennial.
“I think it will be a very cool piece that the whole city will get behind,” McGlone told the committee, adding that it could be used as a photo backdrop by visitors. “We don’t have anything like it,” he said.
The building houses the Purple Cat Disco Garden, which is used as a day program for adults with disabilities.
Other Projects
Two other downtown projects were approved by the design review committee Tuesday. They are:
- Exterior veneer improvements to the Erie Terminal Place building, 112 W. Commerce St. The work will include installation of a stone veneer across the street-level portion of the building; new black canvas awnings over the windows on that level; and renovation of the main entrance that leads to the apartments on the above floors. The building’s name will be installed in lettering on the main entrance wall. An outdated sign that reads Off the Rail, for a bar that was once on the ground floor, will be removed.
- Landscaping alongside the City Centre One building parking lot, 100 E. Federal St. A row of tall pine trees will be removed, and the area will be decorated with shrubs, mulch and decorative stones. The work will make the parking lot more visible. Future landscaping at the site will align with the incoming Mahoning County Government Center, which will be built across the street in the building that formerly housed Eastern Gateway Community College and a multilevel parking garage.
Pictured at top: This depiction shows how the front facade of Pogo’s Pub will look.