Tucked away in between Mill Creek Park and Glenwood Avenue on the city's South Side is an often overlooked neighborhood; Indian Village Historic District. Given the state of the surrounding neighborhoods, many automatically write off this quaint and well kept neighborhood. However, I believe that this tiny park-side historic district is one of Youngstown's most hidden gems. Indian Village was built in the mid-1920s as one of the city's first upper middle class automobile suburbs, similar to Boardman's Newport Village or Forest Glen Historic Districts. The neighborhood's location was attractive due to its proximity to Mill Creek Park and relative isolation from the rest of the city. In fact, the neighborhood is often frequented by hikers or other visitors to the park due to the two walking and biking trails that traverse the neighborhood. A stroll down the neighborhood's Kiwatha Road reveals yet another selling point; the amazing and unrivaled views of Lake Newport! The early residents of Indian Village saw its quiet tree-lined streets, proximity to the park's amenities, and stunning views as a great retreat from the crowded and polluted city that surrounded them. The neighborhood has a mixture of both upper-middle class housing and grand mansions which were owned by some of the city's elite. The portion of Kiwatha Road nearest to Lake Newport is home to sprawling and eclectic mansions, while the surrounding streets are home to more modest, but still impressive, houses. All of the homes built in Indian Village had to be of the Colonial Revival or English-Tudor Revival styles. Though some of the 'newer' homes stray from this original theme, they all blend in well with the neighborhood's aesthetic. The mansions along Kiwatha Road are some of the most impressive tudor-style homes in the entire Mahoning Valley. All display very unique and thoughtful design features, such as turrets and even a balcony on a chimney! If you venture down Glenwood Avenue towards Midlothian Boulevard, you will come across another row of large mansions tucked back into the park. Though these are not built in the tudor style, they all have very unique designs; this includes a log cabin and a home with a Japanese garden and pagoda-style back porch! So, why is it that I think Indian Village is such a hidden gem? Besides the obvious architectural assets within the neighborhood, the most impressive thing about it is how well maintained Indian Village is compared to the neighborhoods on the other side of Glenwood Avenue. Nearly every home is well kept and decorated. Additionally, the well maintained tree-lined streets and vintage street lamps add to the neighborhood's quaint and historic aesthetic. Crossing from the blighted areas east of Glenwood into Indian Village makes you feel as if you're stepping in to a whole new city. Furthermore, the amenities of this neighborhood are unmatched by almost any other in the area. For example, Lanterman's Mill is only a six minute walk or three minute bike ride from the neighborhood. You could also hike on the trails around Lake Newport, or take advantage of the many bike lanes that go through the area, which allows you to ride all the way to Boardman or Downtown Youngstown. Having these amenities right outside your front door is something you cannot get in almost any other part of the Mahoning Valley. However, Indian Village was not always in this shape. Had things gone slightly different a few years ago, the neighborhood may have ended up like any other neglected South Side community. In 2009, an organization known as the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) was created with the mission to improve and stabilize the many untidy neighborhoods within the City of Youngstown. With their headquarters located only a couple blocks from Indian Village, the YNDC quickly identified the small historic district as a strategic neighborhood to improve. The neighborhood stood out as it was not nearly as blighted as its surrounding communities and could easily be stabilized if a select few properties were revitalized. In the years since the YNDC was created, nine different Indian Village properties have received full renovations with repairs being done to several others. Three of the homes renovated by the YNDC were located on the corner of Anoka and Glenwood, which serves as the gateway to the neighborhood. These three homes were of modest size, but were unique tudor style homes which were largely overgrown and boarded up. By renovating these three homes and adding a welcome sign to the adjacent parklet, the YNDC had successfully restored the once grand and welcoming entrance into Indian Village. Most of the other homes that received renovations are located along Glenwood Avenue - by renovating the abandoned homes along the edges of the neighborhood, the YNDC successfully helped prevent blight from spreading further within the neighborhood. Other efforts included the demolition of certain properties and the renovation of the Clearmount Apartments, a historic four-plex located across the street from Indian Village. In conclusion, I see Indian Village Historic District as one of Youngstown's best neighborhoods to call home and one of the city's most overlooked assets. It is a great neighborhood for active individuals who want to have the entirety of Mill Creek Park at their fingertips and for people who want to live in an alluring historic neighborhood. Additionally, it is in a great location due to its close proximity to both Boardman and Downtown Youngstown. While most South Side neighborhoods remain in a state of turmoil, Indian Village is a quiet, green, and peaceful enclave that serves as a beacon of light for the surrounding neighborhoods to follow. And that is why I believe it is one of Youngstown's greatest hidden gems!
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When driving down Fifth Avenue, it is hard to miss Parkway Towers, the now-abandoned eight story apartment building that was once one of Youngstown's most elegant residential buildings. I recently had a chance to photograph the exterior of this 1929 apartment complex which prompted me to do some research to learn more about the history of this mysterious building and what steps could be taken in order to restore the structure to its former glory. PAST When the Parkway Towers were first opened in the late 1920's, the property served as Youngstown's model high-income apartment complex. Unlike previous multi-family residential units, Parkways Towers catered to the city's wealthy residents who preferred not to own a single-family home. The building is located directly across the street from Wick Park, which was the centerpiece of the city's wealthiest neighborhoods during the early twentieth century. Residents enjoyed their close proximity to the park, Stambaugh Auditorium, Youngstown State University, and the many stately mansions along Fifth Avenue. Parkway Towers contained 44 luxury apartment units which ranged in size from one to two bedrooms each. Furthermore, the building distinguished itself from other residential buildings of the time by having a steel frame. Due to this, the building was even dubbed as Youngstown's "first modern fire-proof apartments." Parkway Towers' luxury amenities did not end there. Residents and visitors entering the building would be greeted by a well-dressed doorman which added to the property's prestige. After walking through the front doors, they would find a small convenience store on the first floor which sold various necessities to the building's elite residents. An electric elevator operated at the end of the hall and allowed tenants to travel to their apartment units with ease. Another feature residents enjoyed was the oak wood-plank flooring found within each unit. Due to its luxury appeal, Parkway Towers was home to many prominent Youngstowners over the years such as world-famous filmmaker Jack Warner. Unfortunately, like so many other historically significant structures in Youngstown, Parkway Towers has been abandoned and left to rot over the past few decades. As white flight took its toll on the City of Youngstown, Wick Park's wealthy residents slowly began to filter out into the newly prosperous suburbs of Boardman, Canfield, Liberty, and Poland. As a result, Parkway Towers could no longer operate under its original luxury apartment model. In the coming decades, Parkway Towers was run by various property management companies. The building slowly transitioned from luxury apartments to middle class apartments and finally to poorly managed low-income apartments. Parkway Towers was still mostly occupied until the dawn of the twenty-first century. For incredibly cheap prices, residents could rent out a grand and spacious apartment unit on the upper floors that had incredible views of Wick Park and Downtown. However, the pros of renting a unit here during the 1990's were vastly outweighed by the cons. The building was operated by a management firm that could best be described as "slumlords." The entire property was severely outdated and had not received nearly any updates since the 1950's. This left most units and common spaces within the tower to crumble. Furthermore, the decline and neglect of the building led to even cheaper rent prices which unfortunately attracted some problematic renters. Eventually, the building became too unsafe to live in and too unprofitable to renovate which led to its abandonment in the 2000's. PRESENT Today, Parkway Towers is owned and operated by Simcha Vashulem LLC, a New York City based investment firm. The company has left the historic structure to rot and have shown little to no interest in maintaining it. Currently, the building is being operated as a makeshift cell tower. If you look at the top of the building, you will notice an array of antennas which make the building even more of an eyesore. Simcha Vashulem LLC is doing the bare minimum to keep the building maintained in order to profit off of it as a cell tower. In other words, they are only making sure it does not collapse. When I posted a photo of Parkway Towers on the Youngstown Subreddit, I was shocked to see how many individuals have had personal experiences with this building. In particular, a user that goes by the screen-name "Iwannawearyourskin" shared a story about his work on the building over the past six years and the current state of the interior. According to him, there is severe roof damage which has led to intense water leaks into the interior. He went on to describe an experience he had inside the building during a thunderstorm; "My coworker and I made it inside the building to witness water pouring like a waterfall from the roof through the top apartment ceiling , that wood floor is water damaged and the water pours into the next apartment and makes its way into the elevator shaft. When you get to the basement the water floods the shaft and the boiler room." He believes that there is "nothing left of value" inside the building; the damage is simply too extensive. To make matters worse, the investment firm owes thousands of dollars in back taxes to the City of Youngstown. Believe it or not, tax evasion from out of state "investors" is a huge problem all over the city which often goes unchecked. However, it usually occurs with single family homes, not an eight story apartment tower. Therefore, Parkway Towers' situation has drawn unique attention from both the city and community improvement organizations. FUTURE Fortunately, the City of Youngstown has recently established a team dedicated to fighting blight. The team will be based out of Youngstown Law Director Jeff Limbian's office and will assign an attorney to work on taking back various blighted properties from incompetent owners. When asked to comment on the new program for a WYTV report, Limbian stated; "We are going to try to work with people to remedy blighted commercial properties. If they don’t do it then we are going to work in eminent domain issues, assessing tax statements and ultimately see if we can have those become city properties." Predictably, one of the main properties this new anti-blight effort is targeting is Parkway Towers. But even if the City manages to reclaim this historic structure, what could it even be used for? Though the Wick Park neighborhood is constantly improving, it is still unlikely that there is much of a demand for 44 luxury apartment units today. One intriguing idea for Parkway Towers that has floated around in recent years is to turn it into a boutique hotel. Though the location may seem a bit undesirable for a hotel at first, once you think about it more, it becomes apparent that such a plan could actually work. Parkway Towers is only one block away from the highway (Madison Avenue Expressway), two blocks from Stambaugh Stadium, three blocks from Youngstown State University, and directly across the street from the spacious Wick Park and elegant Stambaugh Auditorium. Obviously, the hotel route is one of the most ambitious ideas for Parkway Towers, but if the right investor came along, it could work. A more realistic approach would be to find a way to incorporate it into Youngstown State University. The university already has many of its residence halls in the Wick Park neighborhood such as the Cafaro and Lyden Houses. In addition to these halls, there is a privately owned student apartment complex (Flats at Wick) and hundreds of students live in various rental properties around the neighborhood. With the recent announcement of the university's new Cafaro Field along Madison Avenue, it is clear that YSU is interested in expanding into the Wick Park area. Parkway Towers could be utilized by them in a variety of ways. One possibility would be to convert it into a residence hall. The units inside Parkway Tower are larger than the average college dorm, but they could either be subdivided or made into large premium dorms for students who prefer apartment-style living. It's hard to tell exactly what the future has in store for this historic gem of Youngstown. It could either be renovated or continue to decay until it is demolished. But one thing is for sure; Youngstown has already lost enough of it's historically significant structures to blights over the past several decades. It's time to rally together as a community to stop the neglect of Parkway Towers and the countless other buildings just like it. That is the only way in which we will be able to see the renaissance of Parkway Towers and to witness Youngstown's blight problem finally begin to improve.
Bike-share systems are services that are found in cities around the world that allow users to rent bicycles from one of many docking stations within their city for transportation or recreational use. Currently, Ohio alone has over ten cities with bike share programs including Cleveland, Columbus, Kent, and Canton. If it can work in all of these cities, then why aren't we bringing it to Youngstown? And if so, what type of bike share would work best? Or should we ditch the bikes all together in favor of other alternative modes of transportation? Recently it was announced that Youngstown was selected as a recipient for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s BUILD Grant in the amount of $10.8 million. The grant will be used to improve transportation infrastructure in Downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods. One of the main goals of the project is to expand Youngstown’s bike infrastructure through bike lanes and possibly even a bike share system. As of now, planning for this potential bike share system is only preliminary. However, a list of locations for possible docking stations include the new amphitheater park, Eastern Gateway Community College, West Commerce Street, YSU, and Wick Park. Though these stations would better connect attractions within the center of the city, I would argue that it will not do enough. Strangely, the plan neglects large portions of Downtown including its busiest areas such as Central Square, the corner of West Federal & North Phelps, and several areas around the YSU campus. Obviously the current plan will almost certainly be modified if the project moves forward, but I imagine that the number of docking stations would remain roughly the same - Youngstown simply does not have the demand for more docking stations. The main struggle any bike share program will face in Youngstown is the lack of bike infrastructure. Currently, Youngstown has no bike lanes - and to make matters worse, many roads in Downtown remain four or even six lane roads making it especially dangerous for cyclists. However, if we assume that the city follows through on its plans to rebuild Fifth Ave, Commerce St, and Front St. into complete streets with bike lanes, we can write off this concern. But another concern is ridership. Who exactly would use bike share in Youngstown? I think it is safe to say that Youngstown State University students would make up the bulk of the ridership with outside visitors to Downtown coming in second place. In most cities with bike share, university campuses seem to be the main hotspots - after all, they are full of students who need to get around a large area everyday without a car. Many universities around the country are investing in bike share systems for their campuses, but to better cater to their students’ needs, some are ditching the docking system all together. Companies such as Zagster offer “dockless bike sharing” which allows riders to pick up and leave their bikes wherever they please - in other words, it would allow people in Downtown or YSU to get where they need to go quickly without having to worry about finding the nearest docking station. I believe a dockless bike share system would benefit Youngstown most and would encourage more people to use bikes due to their simplicity and convenience. However, one must ask - is bike share on it’s way out? Though it is clear that people in urban areas want alternative modes of transportation, traditional bike share may not be the long term solution. This past year, new “scooter-sharing” companies such as Bird and Lime have landed in countless cities across the country and both companies are already worth over $1 billion each. This controversial new trend allows riders to rent compact electric scooters that are scattered around the city from the comfort of their own phones. Like Zagster bikes, these scooters are dockless and can be rented or dropped off anywhere the rider pleases. These scooters have seemingly eclipsed the demand for bike sharing in many cities - after all, why would you walk to a docking station for a bike when you could rent one of the several scooters you will walk past on your way to the docking station? Despite their benefits, scooter sharing companies have faced a lot of controversy due to a neglect for safety by some riders and the “littering” of scooters on sidewalks or in front of businesses. However, I believe the pros heavily outweigh the cons. Why should Youngstown invest its money in docked bike sharing when we could invest in dockless bike or scooter sharing? Not only would it bring new modes of transportation to the city, but it would put us above most cities our size. It would drastically increase connectivity between the YSU campus and Downtown by giving people the freedom to ride wherever they please within the center of the city. This would in turn help YSU by allowing them to be seen as a modern campus that cares about alternative and efficient modes of transportation. If Youngstown will invest in expanding its cycling and alternative transportation infrastructure, it is imperative that we invest smartly and stay ahead of the curve. We need to be careful not to end up with a bike share system that will be outdated and not cater to our citizens’ needs but rather to implement one that benefits all people in Youngstown and will put us ahead of other cities rather than behind them.
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