Fire destroys gallery near Station No. 1

Four fires have burned at this location.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Fire destroyed a 105-year-old building housing a downtown fine arts center Sunday evening, and, its director said, a large piece of his life's work.
"I tried so hard to save this building, and now it's burned down," said Coy Cornelius, owner of the Youngstown Mattress Company Arts Center, 460 Martin Luther King Blvd.
The building, purchased by Cornelius in 1982, provided artists with space to create and display their work. Cornelius, a hairdresser for more than 40 years, also operated a beauty salon in the building.
Cause undetermined
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
"I have no idea how it happened," said Cornelius, who was in the building when the fire started at about 6:30 p.m.
The gallery owner said he was alone in the building, napping in an apartment he keeps upstairs in the northeast corner of the building, when he smelled smoke and heard a crackling noise.
"I got up to investigate and by the time I got downstairs I could feel the heat and see some flames," Cornelius said. "I got out of there as fast as I could and called the fire department and my wife."
The gallery is located near Youngstown Fire Station No. 1, and firefighters responded quickly. Fire units from Austintown and Boardman assisted.
Cornelius, dressed in a T-shirt and sweat pants, told firefighters he was grateful for their work in putting out the blaze, which sent billows of black smoke over downtown Youngstown.
"I'm just a country boy from the Ozarks who came here as an 'import,'" said Cornelius. "I've tried to make a difference in the community through the arts center."
No damage estimate was available. Cornelius' wife, Judy, said the building was insured.
"Nobody was hurt, but there were a lots of things in there you can't replace," she said, noting that the couple's two cats were in the building when the fire started. The cats have not been found.
The couple's black Labs, Bo and Satin, weren't in the building when the fire started. They stood by as the couple watched firefighters battle the blaze.
"I can't believe that it's gone," she said.
History
Sunday's fire marks the fourth time a building has burned in that location. In July 1936, a fire gutted the Youngstown Mattress Co. plant, causing damage estimated at $10,000, according to Vindicator files. In December 1947, a fire caused $75,000 damage to the building. In January 1950, an estimated $2,000 damage was caused by a fire.