Making history a reality in downtown Youngstown

Expansion is the watchword at the Mahoning Valley Historical Society. Its ambitious plans to renovate the historic Harry Burt/Ross Radio Building on West Federal Street into a state-of-the-art history center bode well for advancing the historic preservation goals of the society, expanding exhibition and educational services to the public and adding a vibrant cultural cog to the ongoing renaissance of downtown Youngstown.

H. William Lawson, executive director of the 133-year-old historical society, announced plans for the major expansion project last week. The historical society quietly bought the building last September for $150,000 with plans to transform the three-story, 22,000-square-foot structure into a local history museum, educational center and repository for the society’s expansive collections. A campaign will seek to raise $6 million in private funding for the project.

The Burt Building is a perfect fit for the history center because of the structure’s nationally recognized historic significance. Harry Burt, a famous local confectioner, purchased the building in 1921 and remodeled it to operate a candy and ice cream factory and retail store. From that site, Burt first produced the Good Humor ice cream bar, a popular treat in America through the 1970s. Parade magazine has recognized the building as one of the 11 most historically significant structures in the United States. The MVHS project ensures the historic gem will not decay and eventually become a target for the wrecking ball.

The building will also ensure growth and realization of several long-standing goals of the historic society. The society’s current headquarters and exhibition space at the Arms Family Museum on Wick Avenue have outlived their effectiveness. The building, a 1905 Arts and Crafts-style mansion, is on overload, functioning as an historic house, regional history museum and archives facility. The home and its carriage house were never designed to function as a museum, and society leaders have faced obstacles fitting new exhibits in the cramped quarters.

As a result, the public has been shortchanged. The new history center will allow exhibition of artifacts that won’t fit in the decorative arts museum on Wick Avenue, which will continue to operate. The public will also benefit when traveling exhibitions from such prestigious museums as the Smithsonian Institution make stops in Youngstown.

Diversified matrix

As such, the center promises to be an exciting addition to the continuing revitalization of downtown Youngstown in general and its main thoroughfare — West Federal Street — in particular. The project will stimulate development of the Master’s Block, stretching westward the steady stream of revitalization on the street made over the past decade. The history center will also bring a fresh educational/entertainment component to the downtown’s increasingly diversified matrix of new development.

Clearly, the history center stands out as a valuable project worthy of generous public support. And we’re fairly certain the community will rise to the challenge of meeting and beating the society’s fund-raising goal.

History is on the side of the society. One need only look across the street from the Burt Building, where the historic Warner Theater was saved from demolition 40 years ago thanks to community philanthropy. Today, thanks to additional philanthropy, the former Warner Brothers theater has matured into the DeYor Performing Arts Center, a crown jewel in the downtown arts scene.

The history center will richly complement DeYor and other downtown attractions. As such, the fund-raising campaign to make the center a reality merits widespread community support.