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Theater project revived at State downtown

YOUNGSTOWN — A downtown beautification project at and next to the former State Theatre, halted recently by city officials, is back in business.

A re-creation painting of the State Theatre entrance on the long-closed building was stopped Saturday by city officials because it was started without the permission of the city’s Design Review Committee. Also, plans to install a vinyl replica of Bob Barko Jr.’s “Here in Youngstown” mural were stopped for the same reason.

The project is located at 205 and 207 W. Federal St.

The committee agreed Wednesday to approve both projects with an alteration to the size of the mural.

But before the vote, Charles Shasho, a committee member and deputy director of public works, said: “We would be doing a huge disservice to not say this should have never started without committee approval. This is not OK to do, and everyone involved should have known this.”

Shasho added: “It’s a good, important and sorely needed project. But we should be aware of the process. This is very obvious they that they should have come to the committee before it started.”

Law Director Jeff Limbian, who personally told Barko on Saturday to stop the work, said it’s important that there be consistency in following the proper procedure for doing projects such as these. The painting started a couple of weeks ago.

The committee oversees exterior improvements to downtown and surrounding areas.

Barko apologized for his “zeal in wanting to get this done. My art heart won over my brain.”

Now that the project has approval, it will proceed, and Barko said he hoped it would be finished “before the snow flies.”

The theater opened in 1927 as a movie house. It closed in 1970 and reopened in 1974 as a concert venue, called Tomorrow Club and hosted many future notable rock bands. The Tomorrow Club closed in 1978 and quickly reopened as the Youngstown Agora. It also had several concerts before shutting in 1982. It later was the Star Theatre and Starr Palace until it permanently closed in 1988.

The theater, except for its facade, was demolished in 2008 along with the vacant Armed Forces Building to its west. A six-foot-tall chain-link fence covers the empty spot with a deep hole.

The new project called for the fence to be replaced with a 12-foot-tall fence with the “Here in Youngstown” replica mural covering it. The artwork depicts 92 images of people, landmarks and attractions from the city’s history with information below it explaining each as well as a sponsorship list.

But Shasho said city code doesn’t permit fences that high downtown, and it was agreed it would be reduced to 10 feet, and that the banner would also be reduced from 12 feet high to 10 feet. It will remain 40 feet wide to cover the fence and block people’s vision of the hole.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com

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