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In the last quarter of the
nineteenth century, Youngstown was evolving into an industrial
city with growing numbers of immigrants from southern and eastern
Europe. To meet the needs of its increasingly diverse population,
Youngstown developed downtown commercial establishments and
cultural amenities. Two major downtown department stores,
Strouss-Hirshberg and G.M. McKelvey Company, opened and dominated
retail trade. P. Ross Berry built both the Grand Opera House, a
venue for concerts, theatrical performances, and public meetings,
and Tod House, the largest and finest of the downtown hotels, in
the 1870s.
Under the leadership of Reuben
McMillan, the school system expanded in the 1870s along with a
public library system. By 1880 the Youngstown Library Association
had incorporated and offered books to the public as well as to
students. The YMCA was first organized in Youngstown in 1882 to
provide morally sound and healthful activities for young men
living in the city. The Y opened its own building at East Federal
and Champion Streets in 1892.
Medical services expanded in 1883
when the Youngstown Hospital Association opened the first hospital
on Oak Hill Avenue. Before this, all nursing care of the ill or
injured was done in the home. To meet recreational and aesthetic
needs, the city park system began in 1890 when members of the Wick
family donated land on the north side of the city to be developed
as Wick Park. As a major center of iron production with a
population of 45,000, by 1900 Youngstown was a first-class city,
developing first class amenities.
Is shopping at a mall different
from shopping on a city street? How? Where would you borrow
books if there wasn’t a library? Would you rather be sick at home
or in the hospital? How many different kinds of parks can you
think of? Visit the website of the Mahoning Valley Historical
Society at
www.mahoninghistory.org to learn more about how the Mahoning
Valley has changed over the years. Under ‘Education,’ and ‘What
Do You Know About,’ click on an article title to access
downloadable files of these and other images.
Click Here for Other
Activities | |
The program for a theatrical
performance in the Grand Opera House, 1874.
The
contract for a performance at the Opera House by Buffalo Bill in
1883.
The
program from Buffalo Bill’s 1884 or 1885 appearance.
The
reverse of the program from Buffalo Bill’s 1884 or 1885
appearance.
An
image of the exterior view of the opera house in 1889.
A
photograph showing the exterior of the opera house with the
Mahoning Bank Building on Central Square.
The
interior of the opera house by LeRoy and Terrill.
A
diagram of the seating layout in the opera house.
Tod
House in 1889.
The
Youngstown City Library was originally housed in the Brown mansion
south of the square.
Youngstown’s first hospital was
in this frame building on Oak Hill Avenue. |
