Owner of fire-damaged house wants to save historic homes

Officials suspect the blaze Wednesday was arson.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A vacant 107-year-old historic mansion with a view of Lake Cohasset was vandalized last fall and nearly destroyed by fire this week. But its owner isn't giving up plans to restore it.
"I'm d--- angry about it but I'm not going to sit back. I still intend to do something in that neighborhood," owner Arthur E. Menaldi said Thursday from his Florida home. "It's not enough to [restore] one house, we need people to get involved, get motivated to save the historic homes in Mill Creek Park."
Menaldi, son of a longtime local jeweler, bought the 12-room house at 1660 Volney Road in January 2006. His intent was to restore it to its former glory and donate the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Last September, thieves kicked in a back door and ripped out copper pipes. They also removed vintage decor such as French doors and leaded-glass library doors.
After the break-in Menaldi, 62, wanted to scrap plans to restore the mansion but later decided to proceed. He estimated it would take 300,000 to 400,000 to modernize the place with new bathrooms, kitchens, air conditioning, stucco, heating system, roof and grounds.
Possible arson
Wednesday afternoon, fire broke out at the large (nearly 5,000 square feet) two-story white stucco house trimmed in green. The cause is listed as suspicious and damage set at 65,000.
Firefighters first on the scene saw heavy smoke coming from the second story. The department sent 14 trucks and 34 firefighters to battle the blaze that started in a second-floor bathroom.
Menaldi said the fire burned through the roof and nearly gutted the house.
"I'm starting at ground zero, but I still feel it can be brought back -- a lot has to do with the insurance company," he said. "If I have to do it myself, I will, and I still plan to give it to the National Trust. I don't want to tear it down."
Part of the problem, he said, will be safeguarding the structure during construction, which may begin in May. He intends to travel to Youngstown next month to assess the damage himself and to garner support for preserving historic homes in the park.
The impressive house, in addition to the main living area that includes a sun room, features maids' quarters with two bedrooms. A separate three-vehicle carriage house also has four rooms for living quarters.
In the 1920s, the two-story house belonged to Severn P. Ker, president of the Sharon Steel Hoop Co., which was renamed Sharon Steel Corp. in 1936.
Menaldi's research revealed that the house was built in 1900 by J.F. William Ritter, once a trustee of the Youngstown Public Library. Ritter, born on Wood Street in 1869, had been an agent for Peerless Automobiles and secretary of the Lake Erie and Eastern Railroad Company.
Ritter was responsible for the development of 45 acres in the "Cohasset District," land that had been used by cabbage growers. His home was the first built.