Historical society to honor preservation of Struthers home

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The winners of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s 2011 Historic Preservation Awards will be honored June 21 at the society’s 136th annual meeting at St. Patrick Church on Oak Hill Avenue.

The awards honor those in Mahoning and Trumbull counties who take an active role in preserving historic buildings, sites, and districts. The annual meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.

The categories and winners are:

Community Revitalization Award: Alma Frankfort House and Struthers Historical Society. After purchasing a lot from Thomas Struthers for $190, Alexander Frankfort, Struthers’ last surviving Civil War veteran, built this simple Gothic bungalow in 1884 for his daughter and her husband.

Their oldest daughter, Alma, was carried into the home when she was 2 weeks old and lived there for 93 years. After her death, the house was donated by her nephew to the Struthers society. The three-year, all-volunteer renovation effort removed shingle siding and reconstructed the porch to recapture the original style. The house was nominated by Linda Skrinyer, a Struthers society member.

MVHS Directors Awards of Achievement: Marian Kutlesa: In 1978, she ran a small advertisement in a local newspaper asking for people interested in starting a historical society to attend a meeting in Yellow Creek Park. That meeting was the start of a dedicated group that has collected, preserved and educated the community about the history and heritage of Struthers.

In 1986, the group received its biggest donation, and realized its dream of a permanent home for its collection at the Alma Frankfort House.

Kutlesa enlisted the help of the community and her own family to restore the home to its original charm and put it to good use as a historical society museum.

Kutlesa has an anthropology degree Youngstown State University.

Rebecca Rogers is also an award winner. She is a local history and preservation consultant with special focus in architecture, landscape and planning. She has been involved with more than 20 National Register nominations for local districts, sites and buildings.

She also researched and completed a detailed landscape history report for the historic Arms residence at 648 Wick Ave., Youngstown, which is the first step in a full landscape restoration.

She was a member of the Ohio Historic Sites Advisory Board, the design panel of the Ohio Arts Council, and instructor of historic architecture of the Mahoning Valley, a YSU continuing education program. She has a master’s of architecture degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Cost to attend the June event is $30 for MVHS members and $35 for guests. Contact the society for more information about the awards or to make reservations at 330-743-2589 or visit www.mahoninghistory.org