By Matthew Sotlar / The Jambar
Youngstown has taken a few hits throughout its nearly 250 years on the map.
Before Black Monday fell Sept. 19, 1977, Youngstown was a bustling town with a population of over 395,000 residents. Youngstown is merely the remnants of a once-powerful steel town.
Youngstown was never the center of cultural enrichment, but rather it was the epitome of the midwestern, working-class town. Despite this, there were once many nightclubs and theaters all across the Mahoning Valley that catered to a wide variety of residents.
The Freak Out once stood on the south side of Youngstown. It became a hub of many local psychedelic rock bands of the 60s and 70s including Blue Ash, Glass Harp, Left End and the one-hit wonder Struthers-based band The Human Beinz.
Another popular Youngstown-based theater was The Tomorrow Club, which opened in 1973 and featured artists including Barnstorm & Joe Walsh, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and AC/DC. They also held one of the Ramones’s major concerts outside of New York City in 1976.
The most popular of these ballrooms, however, was the Idora Park Ballroom.
Idora Park was among the most popular amusement parks in the United States. A wide variety of artists performed at the ballroom, including Raspberries, Eagles, Blue Öyster Cult and Michael Stanley Band. The final concert held at the ballroom was B.B. King in August of 1985.
Idora Park itself was open for 85 years until a fire devastated the park April 26, 1984. The park closed its doors Sept. 16, 1984. The Idora Ballroom remained in operation until Memorial Day, 1986. Since then, there have been no attempts at reviving Idora Park.
In addition to the many theaters in Youngstown, there have been a number of local hangouts that have been hung up. Among the most popular was O’Donold’s Irish Pub and Grille, which once stood on Federal Street until its abrupt closure in March 2023.
Where Ryes Craft Beer & Whiskey now stands on Federal Avenue was formerly Strouss’ Department Store up until its closure in 1986. Hills Department Store once stood in the sprawling Lincoln Knolls Plaza up until the mid-1990s when the shops in the plaza began closing. All that remains is a vacant lot in Lincoln Knolls.
Some popular campus hangouts included The Arcade on Fifth Avenue, Pogo’s Pub on Rayen Avenue and Pal Joey’s on Lincoln Avenue. By the end of the 1990s, all that remained were open lots in their places.
One institution that has withstood the test of time is Cassese’s MVR, which has been on Walnut Street since 1927. Just down the road on Oak Street is the Royal Oaks, a bar that has remained in the same building since 1934.
Certain bars, including Liquid Blu, closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Liquid Blu was only open for seven years before a fire destroyed the interior, there was no immediate need to renovate or reopen the bar.
There have been more additions than revisions on campus. Youngstown State University, in particular, has added many new restaurants and hangouts in the past 20 years. Within the past year alone, Bull & Bear Neighborhood Grille and Tavern opened in place of Inner Circle Pizza on Belmont Avenue.
Among the local changes are the upcoming renovations to Kilcawley Center and the renovation and renaming of Bistro 1907 to Casa di Canzonetta.
As the years pass, there will undoubtedly be many changes to Youngstown. Buildings will be closed and torn down, however, it is still important to remember the history of Youngstown.
