Mahoning Valley Historical Society announces Historic Preservation Award winners
YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning Valley Historical Society recently announced its 2021 Historic Preservation Award winners for outstanding revitalization projects and people who have made an impact on preservation in the community.
The MVHS Historic Preservation Awards are underwritten by First Place Community Fund, a component of the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley.
In the Community Revitalization Award category, "The Monastery" at 1810 Volney Road and the Mahoning County Courthouse exterior at 120 Market St. are the winning projects.
"The Monastery," so-called because of its strong association for decades as a Carmelite monastery and worship center, led by Father Richard Madden, is owned by Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.
The structure originally belonged to Emery McKelvey and was used as a single-family home. The restored property now echoes its historic usage with three apartments and a Neighborhood Action Center for public gatherings.
The Mahoning County Courthouse exterior restoration was heralded by the judges' panel for its dedication to original building materials and quality preservation work.
The restoration of the copper statues at the top of the building was recognized in 2018 with a MVHS Historic Preservation Award. The office of the Mahoning County commissioners is the owner of the property.
The Eastern Gateway Community College building at 101 E. Boardman St. and the Iron and String Life Enhancement headquarters at 28-32 Fifth Ave. are receiving the Commercial Revitalization Award.
Adding to the EGCC campus on the east end of downtown Youngstown is the revitalized building at the corner of Boardman and Champion streets. The property is owned by EGCC and Western Reserve Port Authority.
The two-story structure, known for many years as the Harshman Building, was originally built by the East Ohio Gas Company. Its first-floor lobby was used by the public to make payments and will now be used as open classrooms. A "simple elegance" was noted by the judges in its revealing of Art Deco details hidden by former renovations.
The Iron and String Life Enhancement headquarters is a preservation story that took building structures from extensive water damage and decay to an inventive, barrier-free adaptive reuse on the western edge of downtown Youngstown. The property was used for many years by a window display manufacturing company. Today, it houses an array of services for those with special needs in Mahoning County.
For special recognition of an individual's contributions to local preservation efforts, the board of directors' Award of Achievement is awarded to Joseph Pedaline.
Pedaline began preserving houses on the North Side in 1987. Leveraging his career in heating and cooling, he brought professional expertise to stabilizing many at-risk homes on Fairgreen, Lora and Ohio avenues.
The winners will be acknowledged in a ceremony during MVHS' 146th annual meeting June 22. A video presentation will premiere at the meeting for members and guests, then will be accessible to the public soon after on MVHS' website and its social media platforms.
This story was originally published May 24, 2021 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Mahoning Valley Historical Society announces Historic Preservation Award winners."