Wick’ed ways

Youngstown CityScape wants to revitalize Wick Park.

By DENISE DICK

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

The former home of a

prominent Youngstown druggist and those of executives in the steel industry are among the buildings turned to rubble at arsonists’ hands.

Four structures around Wick Park in Youngstown fell victim to arson last month.

An Oct. 20 blaze destroyed the two-

story, 5,414-square-foot house at 259 Park Ave. On Oct. 28, arson at 841 Pennsylvania Ave. spread to neighboring structures at 845 and 835 Pennsylvania, destroying all three.

“The radiant heat spread to the other buildings,” said Capt. Alvin Ware, chief fire investigator with the city fire department.

All of the buildings were vacant, and both fires have been ruled arson.

Ware said that the fire department has several leads but still is looking for tips from anyone who may have information about the crimes. Both city and Youngstown State University Police also are patrolling the area.

The Wick Park Historic District on the city’s North Side is roughly bounded by Wick and Fifth avenues (on the east and west, respectively), and Broadway and Madison Avenue (on the north and south, respectively).

Wick Park sits near YSU and St. Elizabeth Health Center, “the two biggest employers in the city,” said Sharon Letson, Youngstown CityScape executive director. “And it’s flanked by Stambaugh Auditorium and Park Vista,” she added.

Youngstown CityScape has a two-part mission of beautification and preservation. The group earlier this year announced its goal to revitalize Wick Park. Estimated cost is about $2.8 million.

Its preservation mission is part of the reason the organization is concerned about houses surrounding the park, Letson said.

Safety is also a concern, said Scott Schulick, a CityScape board member.

The structures on Pennsylvania weren’t in good shape, Letson said.

“The Park Avenue house was beautiful,” she said. “Now — it needed some work.”

The Park property most recently operated as a nursing home.

Research conducted by the Mahoning Valley Historical Society shows that the Georgian Colonial Revival style Park Avenue house was built in 1900 for Charles H. Krauter. A druggist by trade, Krauter lived at the home until his death in 1929.

Krauter came to Youngstown from New Jersey in 1884 and opened the C.H. Krauter drug store in the Manning-McKeown building on West Federal Street, according to Vindicator files.

He married the former Mary Elizabeth McCartney from Girard in 1895. Her father was a “pioneer coal operator,” her obituary reads.

The store, which initially sold stationery and drugs, later moved one block east. At the turn of the century, “the onyx soda foundation at the Krauter store was more elaborate than any other in Youngstown at the time or since,” a 1937 Vindicator article says.

Krauter’s estate was estimated at $500,000 at the time of his death in 1929.

His wife lived in the Park Avenue home until her death in 1955. She served as the store’s president for about six months in 1937 when the store was leased to the G.C. Murphy Co.

In 1955, Dr. William E. Maine, the city police physician, bought the house for $30,000, Vindicator files show.

City directories show the first listing for the 841 Pennsylvania house in 1904 to be Albert Ross, a roll turner, and his wife, Olive, the historical society found.

It was later owned by George and Elizabeth Day who worked as a secretary at Youngstown Sheet and Tube and then by Caleb Davies Jr., who worked at Republic Iron and Steel Co.

People in the steel industry also called the house at 845 Pennsylvania home. John J. Farrell, who worked as secretary and treasurer at the Sheet Metal Manufacturing Co., lived there with his wife, Mary L., from 1924 until 1926, the historical society found.

In 1926, it was home to Pearly R. Lusk, office manager at the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Co. and from 1927 to 1928, T.E. Tathwell, a salesman, and his wife, Clara, lived in the house. Orville S. Dollison, sales manager at Republic Rubber Co., resided there in 1929.

Earlier this month, a group of concerned citizens and community members conducted a meeting — airing their concerns about the fires and the need to preserve history. City officials also attended, and Letson said more meetings are planned. The second will be 5:30 p.m. Monday in First Unitarian Church, Elm Street.

“The first thing we need to do is to get organized whether as a neighborhood or as a task force so we can strategize about things like any other group would,” said Phil Kidd of the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative. Kidd lives on Pennsylvania and could see the houses that were set ablaze from his apartment.

Until now, efforts have been sort of fragmented, he said.

The area has seen investment , with $24 million in YSU student housing on Madison Avenue, and a company buying the former Penguin Pub with plans to refurbish it.

“Investment is happening, but at the same time, the historic district is seeing the highest vacancy rate it’s ever seen,” Kidd said.

CityScape sent a letter after the latest arson to Mayor Jay Williams, signed by residents and community leaders, outlining their concerns.

“The continuance of arson in the area seriously hobbles any fundraising efforts and may discourage foundations from supporting a project that is so vital to our progress as a model city,” the letter says, referring to the Wick Park revitalization effort.

The meeting earlier this month was spawned by the letter.

denise_dick@vindy.com