Youngstown Art History

Happy 90th Anniversary to our neighbors at the Butler Institute of American Art! Excerpt from History of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, Ohio, Volume 1 By Joseph Green Butler

Butler Art Institute

This institution, the gift of J. G. Butler, Jr., to the City of Youngstown, is not only a realization of the ambition of its founder but fulfills the fond hope of the many residents of this community who are lovers of art. In the words of one of its admirers this art institute has an ennobling influence "not only because it provides a profitable recreational interest for leisure hours but because the contemplation of beautiful works of art exalts the spirit and awakens in the beholder a civic pride —a desire to have the city a fitting environment for its people."

Mr. Butler has been a collector of fine paintings for many years, and even before the establishment of the present institution made every effort to permit the people of Youngstown to share in the enjoyment of these works of art. When the Mahoning Institute of Art was incorporated on February 27, 1915, he was elected its president, this organization being the outgrowth of a movement started by the Ohio Federation of Women's Clubs. Under the patronage of the Mahoning Institute of Art many exhibits of paintings were brought to Youngstown and these aroused great interest, although the exhibits were made with difficulty, as Youngstown had no appropriate place in which they could be held.

In the erection of the Butler Art Institute this handicap has been overcome. The institute now has a permanent collection of seventy-five paintings of high artistic quality, suitably housed on the first floor of the art buildings, and to this collection will be added more paintings from time to time. This is only part of the opportunity afforded by the institution, however. It is the policy of the institute to invite outside exhibits in order to give the people opportunity to become acquainted with the works of great artists who are not yet included in the permanent collection. To give art a vital interest in the life of the community, lectures are also arranged and given to the public free of charge.
The educational department has now four well-organized classes— the local artists, who are allied under the name of the Mahoning Society of Painters, the Youngstown Art League, under the direction of Ceylon Hollingsworth, a picture study class for young children, and a class in drawing and painting for the upper grade students with special talent.

The first exhibit of paintings done by local artists was held in the winter of 1919-20, with results that were gratifyingly surprising to promoters, exhibitors and the public alike. The attendance was far beyond expectations, and those who attended were in turn astonished to find that Youngstown had so many talented artists. It was this showing that inspired the organization of the Mahoning Society of Painters, a body of men and women who have banded together to exchange ideas and to develop the talent given them. It is more than likely that, as a result of this movement, an exhibit by local artists will be an annual feature of the Art Institute.
The Institute is given over wholly to American art. It is unique in the United States in this respect, and it is certain that this will have a great influence in encouraging American artists and in leading them to greater efforts.

The Butler Art Institute itself is an unusually beautiful building of Georgia marble. The main facade is 120 feet long and 34 feet 11 inches in height. The central feature is a portico of three arches, and on either side are niches containing statues of Apollo and Minerva, the work of the great American sculptor, J. Massey Rhind. The portico gives access to the central hall, designed to receive sculpture and objects of art other than paintings.

The doorway opposite the entrance gives access to the staircase lending to the second floor, and also leads out of the gallery to the open court that will lie between the two proposed projecting wings of the building. It is proposed to arrange this court as a formal Italian garden, with fountains and with a loggia at the extreme end corresponding to the entrance portico. The doorways to the right and left of the central hall lead to the two principal galleries for paintings. The wings to be added will be entered through these rooms, the entrance being indicated now by doorway outlines that are temporarily housing paintings. The general style of the building throughout is of the Early Italian Renaissance. The park-like Institute grounds will extend from Wick Avenue through to Bryson Street, all the property for this purpose having been purchased by Mr. Butler. The structure was designed by McKim, Meade & White.

The building was formally opened on October 15, 1919, and on October 16, 1919, was opened to the public. The patronage since the opening day has been surprisingly large. It has not only been a gathering place for Youngstown lovers of the beautiful, but the Institute register daily records the names of art lovers from all sections of the country from the Atlantic Coast to California.

The Institute represents thus far an investment of approximately $500,000 in lands, building and paintings given by Mr. Butler from the private collection that he has been years in accumulating. In addition the founder has provided an endowment fund of $200,000 to insure the permanency of this great work. To enable this to be carried on the Butler Art Institute was regularly incorporated on December 27, 1919, by J. G. Butler, Jr., John Stambaugh, John W. Ford, Jonathan Warner and Henry A. Butler.

The Mahoning Valley Collects

Take a sneak peek inside the newest exhibit at the Arms Family Museum.

Included in the exhibit are collections of cameras, postcards, Native American implements, political memorabilia, guns and dolls.

The exhibit is open Tuesday-Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and will be on display through September 2010.

Uncovering the History of Wick Avenue

Though it’s no longer recognizable as the house shown in the 19th century photograph below, this structure is still very much part of the historic and cultural fabric of Youngstown’s Wick District. It was built by the widow of a local business leader who died of disease while serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. It was then occupied between 1866 and 1959 by three generations of the same family.

Emeline Warner Arms was a 35-year-old widow with six children when she began construction of her new home in 1865. Her husband, Myron Israel Arms (uncle of the Historical Society’s benefactor, Olive F. A. Arms), died on September 10, 1864, after contracting Typhoid Fever in his regiment’s camp in Virginia. The family moved into the house the following year, and there Mrs. Arms spent the rest of her days. Her youngest daughter and son-in-law, Harriet A. and Charles H. Booth, remained in the house after Mrs. Arms’ death, and completely remodeled it early in the 20th century, transforming its exterior design from Italianate to an Italian-style villa, as shown below.

Harriet Arms Booth lived in the house until her death in 1952 at the age of 91. Her daughter and son-in-law, Jane A. B. and Philip H. Schaff, Sr., moved in afterward with their two youngest children. In 1959 the Schaffs sold the house to First Christian Church, located across Spring Street since 1934. The church renamed the building Disciple House, and used it for a variety of functions until 1966, when they sold the property to Youngstown State University. YSU officially changed its name from Disciple House to Alumni House in 1983.

Though the name and function of the property changed over the years, it remains at 606 Wick Avenue as the oldest surviving of the grand houses to be built in this neighborhood in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Join us on Sunday afternoon, September 13, at 1:00 p.m., for free walking tours along Wick Avenue as part of the Founders Day Open House at the Arms Family Museum of Local History. There is diverse historic and modern architecture to see, and many more interesting stories to be told!

Remembering Edna Pincham

Edna D. Pincham, a member of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s Board of Directors since 2007 and a passionate community leader, educator and advocate, passed away on June 24, 2009, after a short illness. One of Edna's great passions was local history. She was a key member of the committee which produced the research for an Ohio Historical Marker to honor decorated Civil War veteran Oscar D. Boggess, the first historical marker dedicated to an African American in Mahoning County. The photograph shows Edna on the left at the marker unveiling and dedication in September 2006.

Edna’s published tribute noted that among the proudest events of her life was her inclusion in an exhibit produced by the Mahoning Valley Historical Society in 2001 titled Far From Home: Stories from Immigrant Children to the Mahoning Valley. This exhibit chronicled the migration experience of several young people who left their homes in Europe, the Middle East and the American South to resettle locally in the 20th Century. To honor her memory, following is the text copy that told Edna’s story in the exhibit:

"Edna Pincham grew up in a community full of faith, family and love in southern rural Georgia—the town of Quitman in Brooks County. This rural and religious lifestyle was all Edna knew in her first 18 year of life. Life in Quitman during the 1950s was slower and tight knit, with neighbors around all of the time. There were only three churches in town, and everyone gathered between the three on Sundays. Edna had never left her family before coming to Youngstown. Outside of Florida, she had never been further than Atlanta. She came to Youngstown at the age of 18 in 1954 to attend Youngstown College and live with her sister. Edna’s first experience with racism was when her family took her to a train station for her journey north. There at the station, African Americans were asked to remain in a back room, while white travelers were allowed to sit in a waiting room with plush chairs. The room was small and cramped and they could look through a window at those in the larger room.

Edna took the B&O Railroad from Georgia to Washington DC—a very long trip. She was alone, and had to change trains by herself. Her mom made sure she had enough food until Washington. In a shoe box, she had fried chicken, biscuits, pound cake, and apples and oranges. At that time, African Americans were not allowed in the dining car, so Edna ate the contents inside the shoebox. She even drank the orange juice because she refused to go to the fountain labeled “colored.” On the train from Washington DC, she was able to go to the dining car and water fountain. When she finally arrived in Youngstown, her whole family was waiting to see her, including her sister and brother-in-law. She was excited to see a city with streetcars and was even more thrilled to be picked up in a car. She found a job almost immediately at LaFrance Cleaners and attended school at Youngstown College. Though she continued to face some discrimination at school and in work, she eventually got a job with Dr. W.P. Young who supported her career as a lab technician. Edna went on to have a successful family, co-own a successful moving company, and pursued a career in politics as well. Today Edna is known for her commitment to volunteerism and concern for the welfare of young children in the Mahoning Valley."

2009 Historic Preservation Award Winners

Community Revitalization Award
Fallen Fire Fighters Bridge (Spring Commons Bridge)
The bridge formerly known as the Spring Common Bridge was refurbished and renamed the Fallen Fire Fighter’s Bridge in 2008. The Bridge was designed by the engineering firm of Wilbur Watson and Associates of Cleveland and constructed in 1949 by the Mt. Vernon Bridge Company. The objective of restoration was to enhance the Bridge while preserving the original design, materials and appearance. The deck was replaced; a new sidewalk was constructed with new railings; and structural steel repairs were made to the beams and girders. The structural steel was cleaned and repainted a shade of red that both commemorates the fire fighters and compliments the surrounding environs.

Commercial Revitalization Award
John R. Davis Building
Youngstown’s late 19th and early 20th century history of development from a small Midwestern town into a thriving metropolis is will documented by the built environment in its downtown. Stemming from concern of the rapid loss of these assets, the three architects of Faniro Architects formed the Sweet Jenny Land Company for the purpose of rescuing and rehabilitating the John R. Davis Building. Built in 1899 the architects saw this building as an opportunity to save an historic structure and to develop it in such a manner as to serve as a model of a mixed-use, adaptive reuse of a historic urban property. The structure houses a street level retail space, the offices of Faniro Architects on the second level and a loft style residence on the upper floor.


MVHS Directors Awards of Achievement
Emerald Street Homes – The Bolan Family
Built between 1900 and 1912 presumably by the steel mills as worker homes, the eight remaining row houses along Emerald Street in Smoky Hollow were acquired by the Bolan Family between 1999 and 2008. Four of the homes are completed and occupied my members of the family, while the remaining four are in various stages of rehabilitation. The renovations have been funded completely by the family who want to protect the environment by resuing and recycling materials, restore the homes on the outside to as near as authentic as possible, use local businesses and vendors, and improve the quality of life in Smoky Hollow.

Free Event!

Celebrating Women's History Month - Mary Ann Campana

Mary Ann Campana
Excerpted from The Italians of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, Ohio by Joseph Louis Sacchini

Born in Italy, Mary Ann Campana immigrated to Youngstown in 1921. She enrolled in the Youngstown schools attending Oak Street Elementary, Lincoln School and East High School. While working at a five and ten cent store after graduation, she saved part of her earnings for flying lessons and at 18 became Ohio’s first licensed woman teenage pilot. On Sunday, June 4, 1933 Mary Ann set the world’s light airplane endurance record of 12 hours, 27 minutes flying over Youngstown and surrounding communities. She prepared for 5 months and had 44 hours of flight experience. Her aircraft was a Taylor Cub Airplane with a 40 horsepower Continental engine; she had 40 gallons of gasoline and no parachute. Severe electrical storms forced her to land.

Mary Ann Campana was a true pioneer in the field of aviation for women which in the early years was male dominated. In 1993 an Ohio Historical Marker was placed at the Youngstown Warren Regional Airport in honor of her aeronautical and business accomplishments. Ms. Campana resides in Boardman.