In 2011 the Historical Society received funding from the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board to digitize a historically significant collection of negatives from the Youngstown City Planning Office, which is held and managed by the Historical Society.
The Youngstown City Planning collection provides historically significant documentation for the downtown’s central business district, the campus of what is now Youngstown State University, neighborhoods impacted by urban renewal, and development in the Lake Milton area of Mahoning County. Local businesses, structures no longer standing, and developments within the infrastructure of the city are visually represented. The negatives primarily date from 1956-1964, with their identifications provided on the original envelopes. 1,900 negatives were digitized and now the collection is accessible to all patrons at our archival library.
Here are just a few of the images from the City Planning Collection.
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1960: View looking East along Front Street from the South-West Corner with Market Street, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Kaleel Produce
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1962: View from Walnut and Federal Streets looking West, Rocky's Tavern, Castle Jewelers, East Federal Furniture Co., Arnolds Pawn Brokers, Factory Shoe Store, Lewis Apparel Store, Volunteers of America Opportunity Store
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'1966: View looking North West toward the Park V (Park Vista) Apartments on Fifth Avenue and Broadway Avenue
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1964: 'View looking South from the Canfield Road Bridge over Mill Creek Park toward Lanterman's Mill
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1961: View looking North-East along the Square and Wick Avenue from atop the Mahoning National Bank Building. Left- Dollar Bank, Union Bank, Brown's Drug Store. Right- People's Bank, Palace Theatre, Household Finance Corp., Palace Grill, Palace Hotel, First Presbyterian Church, Masonic Temple
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1967: View of the south side of Commerce Street. The Strouss, the City Blue Paint Co., and the Erie Terminal Building are present on the left. The third floor housed the Victor George Beauty School. The Ohio School of Beauty Culture and the Showcase Party Shop sit on the right.