YOUNGSTOWN Late black architect inspires many in city

An exhibit dedicated to a local black pioneer stands in the lobby of city hall.
By ROB MEYER
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Although he died nearly 90 years ago, Plimpton Ross Berry's effect on the city is still being felt.
Berry, a 19th-century brick mason and architect, designed and laid the bricks for numerous city buildings. Some of his work includes Tod Mansion on Fifth Avenue, the original Rayen School building (which now houses the Youngstown Board of Education), the Mahoning County Courthouse and First Presbyterian Church.
His work as a local black pioneer inspired Kathryn Hawks Haney of Give the Children a Chance Inc. to build a monument of her own.
Haney, with the help two local teens, put together an exhibit dedicated to Berry in the lobby of city hall. It stands on a wall next to Mayor George M. McKelvey's office.
In the center of the exhibit is a large portrait of Berry. Surrounding it are pictures of buildings Berry worked on, obtained from the Mahoning Historical Society, with typed captions underneath that describe each building's role in the history of the city.
"It's important for people to know the history of Youngstown," Haney said. "P. Ross Berry is an inspiration. People can look at him and realize that a black man built these wonderful buildings in Youngstown."
Haney said she has received many phone calls from people thanking her and Give the Children a Chance Inc. for putting up the exhibit. She hopes to keep the exhibit in city hall and use it as a place where other historical Youngstown notables can be recognized.
"P. Ross Berry was a dynamic inventor, and people graduating from high school in this city don't even know who he is," Haney said. "He can encourage people to become an architect."
Biography
Berry was born in Lawrence County, Pa., in 1835. He moved to Youngstown in 1861 to begin construction of The Rayen School, the first high school in the city. He died in 1917 after spending 40 years working in the city.
Keith Carter of Youngstown, who helped Haney put up the exhibit, said it is important for everyone -- especially young people -- to know of their history.
"Being young, I see the things that Mr. Berry did. It makes me think I am capable of doing great things also."