If these walls could talk

I spent some time this week doing research into previous owners of our house at 1860 5th Avenue on the north side, part of the Crandall Park-Fifth Avenue Historic District. The research involved simply reading through the city directories from the ’20s through the ’80s. The Maag Library at YSU has them in print going back at least through the ’20s, perhaps further. The public library on Wick next to St. John’s has them in print after 1950 and earlier ones on microfilm.

The city directories list residents both by address and by last name, so I looked up the listing for our address, then cross referenced the names to find their occupation and children, if any. The dates below are approximate, based on when the corresponding listings appeared in the directory. Each is probably accurate within 2 years.

For example, our address first appears in the 1929 directory, though most of those I’ve spoken with, including the previous owners, believe it was built in 1927. Here is the owners list:

1927: Alfred O. & Mary K. Stuart. Alfred was chief clerk at First National Bank on 10 West Federal. The bank was the “oldest national bank in Ohio” and the third oldest in the U.S. (Not sure what qualified it as a “national” bank and what the difference is between that and anything else.) Their previous residence was 221 W Madison, and they later moved to 143 Park Avenue, at least by…

1933: Henry A. and May E. Roemer. Henry (1884 – 1969) was the president of Sharon Steel and led it ably out of the Depression and through mergers and acquisitions to become a force in the region. Presumably, he moved closer to Sharon after a few years, as by 1937 the house was listed under a new owner.

1937: William N. and Marie B. McDonald. William was comptroller for Youngstown Sheet & Tube. He was the second-longest resident of the house and redesigned the kitchen during his tenure. The original design sketch still exists and was left for us by the previous owner. McDonald died around 1955, and the city directory lists the house under his widow’s name in the 1957 edition.

1957 or 1959: Frank and Anna Micchia and their five children: Frank Jr, Joseph M, Joanne, Ronald, and Linda. Frank opened the Italian Restaurant at 25 N Hazel Street downtown and moved to Fifth Ave from just around the corner, at 1896 Cordova. Frank Jr. commented, “My father came to this country in 1913 from Calabria, Italy at the age of 17.” Frank Sr. died in 1978, and the house was sold not long after. (Thanks to Frank Jr. and Ronald L. Micchia for their correspondence.)

1983: Nicholas and Raelyn J Tsarnas. Formerly of 5636 Stanford Avenue, and a structural steel painter by profession, Nicholas lived in the house for just a few years before selling it in…

1985: C. Alan and Dr. Sandra W. Stephan. Alan was a retired captain in the US Navy and Sandy was the chair of the English department at YSU. After Alan died late in 2006, we bought the house from Sandy, who was terrifically helpful and generous in the sale. Sandy and Alan were the longest inhabitants of the house, at a total of 22 years. (The McDonalds were resident for slightly fewer years.) By all accounts, they were conscientious neighbors and valued community members.

2007: We’re looking forward to a long tenure here and hope to increase the home’s value by contributing to the city’s overdue renaissance.

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