Sledding in Crandall Park
Youngstown — Posted on January 12, 2009 at 10:01 pmCrandall Park, fifty acres in area, is one of Youngstown’s treasures. It is one of the largest parks in the city and the jewel of the Crandall Park-Fifth Avenue Historic District.
The original northern limit of the city’s residential district was Madison Avenue. North Heights Company purchased 100 acres of land north of Wick Park in 1902 and set about realizing its potential for residential use.
The Mahoning Golf Club, originally established north of Wick Park in 1898, moved further north in 1906 into Andrews Hollow–named for Chauncey Andrews, who operated a quarry in the ravine. As the Realty Trust Company, formed in 1903, pursued a second development phase for the north side, it moved to its present location in Liberty. In 1912, therefore, out of the Mahoning Golf Club, came the present-day Youngstown Country Club. The golf club had done its job, however, at ensuring the north side’s status as a desirable location.
As Realty Trust surveyed its holdings, it noted in 1908:
“The natural scenery of Andrews Hollow possesses more primitive grandeur and beauty than any other spot in the vicinity of Youngstown. For some distance the bed of the ravine is more than 200 feet wide presenting a vast amphitheater, running stream and rocky formations. It would be a matter of small expense to the city to lay out drives on either side of the stream from Wick Avenue to Belmont and make excavations for one or two artificial lakes.”
Realty Trust donated the fifty acres for a park to the city in exchange for the construction of the Fifth Avenue bridge over the ravine. Realty Trust would create Tod Lane and Redondo Road, to flank the park, and the city would–within five years–establish the bridge. Once the bridge–estimated at $50,000–was completed in 1915, the rest of Fifth Avenue and the north side were developed to the Trumbull County line at Gypsy Lane.
Fifth Avenue had been proposed as early as 1903:
“This improvement, together with the one contemplated in Andrews Hollow [Wick Avenue? Elm Street?] … will give the North Side two of the most picturesque roadways in or about the city.”
It wasn’t until 1913, however, that the road was completed up to Crandall Park, named for the Crandall family, who had owned much of the land. 1913 also saw an important expansion of the city’s limits to Gypsy.
The expansion was needed, as Youngstown’s population–45,000 in 1900–grew during its “Golden Age” to 170,000 by 1930. By 1925, Crandall Park had a lake, tennis courts, and picnic grounds. Its pavilion was added in 1930 and a picnic shelter by 1936.
Fast forward to the present… The snow has fallen so thickly this week that we knew it was time to go sledding. The kids sensed it and requested it, and we couldn’t but add our desire to theirs. We saw a line of cars, trucks, and mini-vans parked by the hills along the park’s edge. We found a straightaway and–time and again–set down our sled. The powder flew up into our faces as we slid down, and we climbed back up to the top to see if the next run would go farther…
Sunday’s Vindicator published a letter to the editor by Nancy Bizzarri lamenting the park’s current state:
“Last Sunday, I found the beautiful, historic house covered in graffiti, the sidewalks littered with beer cans, that will probably remain, like the leaves and other litter, that is rarely picked up, except by myself or other conscientious citizens.I have overheard park workers say that they were told by the Park Department that only park properties that earn money are worth maintaining.
Beauty and nature do not have to justify themselves by earning money. They are a necessity, like art, for the well being of the people. [...]
Mayor Williams has boasted on television about the city’s financial surplus. Mr. Mayor, you do not have a legitimate surplus when public facilities are neglected.”
I’m putting Crandall Park on my list for a clean-up date after the snow melts. I’ll be calling on you to join me, and I hope you will help me protect the park’s legacy for the children who enjoy playing in it on snowy winter days and any other time they wish.
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15 Comments
The perfect blog… I loooove Crandall Park. Call me when you want to clean it up – I’ll be there with bells on.
perfect post!
A mix of the historic, timely events, and personal experience.
One comment was made recently how people walk their dogs around Crandall Park all the time.
Maybe putting in a small unleashed dog park on the inside of a small section of Crandall Park would get more people to hang out there with their cups of coffee, creating more eyes in the vicinity.
The connection you have to Youngstown shines through so strongly in this post. It is just as strong as the joy of your family sledding down the slope.
Thanks Tyler for the window into your city and a fun day with the kids.
HMac, thanks for the feedback. I knew I could count on you to care for the park. It’s your backyard now!!
Janko, thanks, and I think a dog park would be great. I know there are lots of dog owners on the north side. I’d also like to nix the fence around the lake. It’s a beautiful lake, but the fence says “Don’t look at me, I’m hideous.”
Barbara, thanks for the kind words. This weekend was a reminder of the beauty we have here at home. And seeing so many children and families enjoying the park just reinforced the optimism I have in our future. No dying cities here…
I heard Nancy on Louie Free’s show and agree with her that these parks should be cherished. What a pleasure to see your family doing just hat!
Tyler count me in for a clean-up. Nancy said in her editorial, “this is the most impregnable regime we’ve had”. I think that needs to change and it is time to have a converation with the city about the parks.
Jim, thanks for the note. We also sledded in Crandall Park the very first weekend we returned to Youngstown, in 2007, after the blizzard. We’d been looking forward to another opportunity! (I’ve updated your blog’s feed in my list.)
moxie, Thanks for all you’re doing. We’re going to come out on top, regardless of who’s in the mayor’s office, with people like you as leaders and agitators.
I’m also in for a clean-up. I would also love to see a weekend this spring dedicated to re-roofing the picnic pavilion — a simple enough job with a few helping hands. Clean-ups are great, but let’s also make an effort to do something to ensure the facilities are around for decades to come.
Great idea, Paul. I would never have thought of that, being a software rather than hardware guy!
That was fun Tyler!
Watching the sledding and hearing the joyful screams!
I cross-country skiied around the neighborhood yesterday thinking “how cool is this…” :-)
Livability baby!!! (I fantasized about groomed sidewalks- hehehe…)
Next trip I’m going to the park!
And THANK YOU for some of the history of the area.
And Yes to “tear the fence down” around the lake…
We ice skated 10 or more years ago on the lake and it was great (and bumpy, whatever!)
Count me in on the cleanup. Catherine and I did some of “the gorge” west of the bridge last year. And it was an adventure!
Peace.
Thanks, Susie! I can always count on you to rally a few dozen people to an event :-)
Great post! I don’t have much experience with Crandall Park, but my husband played there as a child. I hadn’t seen Nancy Bizarri’s letter before, but I loved it, especially the comparison to nature and art.
That was a meal. Thanks.
Thanks, Kris. Where do you guys sled?
We sled at Rocky Ridge in Mill Creek, but probably not anymore because Miranda smashed into a post last year and had to go to the emergency room. Now she refuses to sled. Gilly’s still up for it, but not suprising, she’s a maniac.
Count me in on the manual labor and clean-up efforts! I can’t wait to get started planning – it reminds me that going-to-the-park time is coming soon!