Wednesday, July 29, 2015
YOUNGSTOWN
Although the downtown Paramount Theatre is gone, a 12-foot-tall structure using terra cotta from the former historic building stands at the front of the location to honor its legacy.
The original plan was to save the facade and its iron marquee awning. But two studies showed that any effort to save the front of the former theater would cost at least $1 million without a guarantee of success, and the marquee’s condition was in such poor condition that it couldn’t be saved.
Before the building at West Federal and North Hazel streets was demolished last year, pieces of its facade were removed and stored at the city street department building, said Charles Shasho, deputy director of public works.
Nearly all of those pieces were incorporated in the tribute piece.
“We want people to remember that the theater was there – and without a monument, people will forget,” said John A. DeFrance, an architect with Olsavsky Jaminet Architects Inc., who designed the structure at no cost.
The monument has a concrete foundation and a concrete block and steel-reinforced interior. The front of the exterior is terra cotta from the theater’s facade with ornate masonry at the top. The terra cotta is surrounded by brick.
Other businesses volunteering with the structure include Lencyk Masonry, United Civil Contractors, Masonry Material Plus, and Boak & Sons.
“What they did is impressive,” Shasho said. “It’s a nice addition to downtown – a conversation piece.”
A plaque will be placed at the location, which is now a parking lot, with information about the Paramount Theatre, Shasho and DeFrance said.
Demolition of the theater building started in July 2013 and was plagued by delays, and wasn’t done until May 2014. It is now a parking lot owned by the city and operated by the Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp.
Neglect led to the building’s deterioration with holes in the roof causing major weather damage to its interior.
The building opened in 1918 as the Liberty Theatre for vaudeville acts and silent movies with a 1,700-seat auditorium featuring an aquarium and fountain in the lobby. It was sold in 1929 to Paramount Pictures and renamed the Paramount Theatre.
It closed in 1976 and was listed in 1984 on the National Register of Historic Places. It passed through several owners before the city bought it in 2010 for $80,000.