Benedict Building 1895-1990

J.S. Benedict General Store. PO1.697	Before It Was The Olde Main Chowder House. Postcard of the home of William McKinley Sr. on the west side of Main Street. Sometime before 1875, the house was enlarged and converted into a store owned by J. S. Benedict. Half of it was moved to Riverside Park in Evansville near Meander Creek, ca 1893, and half was moved backward to Franklin Alley. A bank and the Benedict building were constructed on the site.

City National Bank building, 1894. Photo: Youngstown Museum of Labor and Industry	The City National Bank was built in 1893 on the site of the McKinley home on South Main Street. It opened its doors in 1884 with a capital of $60,000.00 H. H. Mason, who was the first Mayor of Niles, was president. At this time the J.S. Benedict store is still occupying the birthome of William McKinley. It closed within a short time and the Dollar Savings Bank Co., which had opened in temporary quarters in 1903, relocated in this building in 1905. They remained here until the new Dollar Bank Building was complete in 1918. The McKinley Savings & Loan, organized in 1918, occupied the site until it was absorbed by Dollar Savings Bank of Youngstown. In the 1890’s half of it was moved to Riverside Park in Evansville near Meander Creek and half to the Franklin Alley. A bank and the Benedict building were constructed on the site. The photograph shows the section moved to Franklin Alley where it became a storehouse for an undertaker. Later, the Harris Offset Printing Company would occupy this building. Read about the lot where the McKinley home was built.

In 1905 the Dollar Bank purchased the City National Bank building which had been built in 1893 on part of the site of the McKinley home. PO1.38 The Dollar Bank remained at the location until 1918 when their present building was completed. The McKinley Federal Savings & Loan purchased the building that same year.	Close-up of the Benedict Building façade showing the date in which it was built. (Ed. it appears to be 1888). Right: The Benedict Building is to the left of the bank building. SO1.38a Close-up of the bank building with the second floor occupied by Dr. Thomas Clingan as indicated by the lettering on the windows.

Photograph on the left shows the west side of South Main Street as it appeared at the turn of the century in 1894. Left to right: Benedict building, old City National Bank building, Clingan building, Deither-Carter building, Holton building, Harris house, later the site of the Niles Bank building. (Across Park Avenue) the Swaney building, IOOF building and the Wagstaff building. In the Clingan Building, Dr. Clingan and attorney G.P. Gilmer had upstairs offices and the Evans Store was downstairs. The Deither-Carter Building was next to the right and housed the Manchester Hardware and Southwick Brothers Restaurant. Only the Holeton Building, built in 1897, remains of all the buildings in this photograph. PO9.4	Dr. Thomas Clingan house at 547 South Main Street. This house, built close to the Mahoning River, was inundated by the waters of the 1913 Flood. After the house flooded, the Clingan-Waddell Mansion on South Main Street was built and occupied by the family. Pictured in the photograph are: L-R William Aubrey Thomas, Margaret Thomas Clingan with John Clingan, Margaret Clingan Wick, T.E. Thomas or Dr. Clingan and Elizabeth Clingan Hosack. P11.315	Another view of the west side of South Main Street featuring the Benedict Building on the far left of the photograph, ca 1895. South Main Street from Holeton Bldg. S11.318

South Main Street, 1935. Niles Standard 9.18.36 Bolotin-Drabkin will hold big auction sales. The company has been located in Niles for over 23 years and through loss of lease has been forced to dispose of the large stock of quality furniture and vacate the building before October 1st. The first auction sale will be held tonight at 7:30. Sales will continue each day until the entire stock is sold it was announced by Saul Drabkin, the general manager. The movie theatre was the ‘Butler’ which later would become the ‘Robins Theatre’.	Bolotin-Drabkin Moves into New Store. Bolotin Niles Daily Times 2.23.28 Two and one-half times the floor space occupied by the Bolotin-Drabkin Furniture Company at 29 South Main Street will be at the command of the company at its new location, 40 South Main Street which opened Friday. In the old building, the floor space available was slightly better than 4,000 square feet, while in the new location the space to be used will be nearly 11,000 square feet, besides the warehouse which will afford another 3,000 feet. The warehouse is to be used for the display of used furniture and to house furnishings to be disposed of in the store, company officials said. There are three floors and a basement at the 40 South Main Street address, each floor being 27 feet in width and 100 feet in depth with the basement of equal proportions. The first floor will be occupied by special numbers in living room, dining room and bedroom furniture, ornaments and floor and bidge lamps, arranged in an attractive manner. During the year, seasonal merchandise will also be displayed on the first floor. On the second floor will be bedroom and dining room furniture, while the third floor will be used to display of living room furnishings, rugs, tables, phonographs, smoking sets and lamps. In the basement a full line of high grade stoves and kitchen outfits will be on display. Considerable work has been done in order to get into shape for the opening. Steel beams have been placed in the ceiling on this floor and there will be no poles or braces to obstruct the view of prospective buyers. This was done at great cost and aided greatly in bringing the cost of the remodeling figure that the company was obliged to meet.

	Left: Bolotin-Drabkin Furniture Niles Daily Times advertisement in the September 4, 1930 Niles Daly Times. Right: Advertisement in the Niles Standard newspaperfor the Bolotin-Drabkin Furniture Company located at their new location, 40 South Main Street.

After the closing of the Bolotin–Drabkin Furniture Store in 1936, a new furniture company, Arden’s Furniture Store, took over the Benedict building. Photograph shows the display windows with the Butler Grille and the McKinley Federal Savings and Loan bank on each side of the Benedict Building.	Postcard advertisement displaying metal tube kitchen tables and chairs, rolls of linoleum flooring and stoves. Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings until 8:30 pm.	Postcard advertisement displaying various carpets available for purchase. Treasure house of fine rugs.

Photograph of Arden's Fine Furnishings Store and McKinley Federal Savings and Loan Building, ca 1963. S11.301 Buildings beside bank are being torn down to provide space for a drive-thru for the bank.	Photograph of Arden's Fine Furnishings Store and McKinley Federal Savings and Loan Building, ca 1973. S11.232	Demolition of bank completed, ca 1990. The Olde Main Ale & Chowder House is up for auction.

The Olde Main Ale & Chowder House. PO1.1153 Photo taken of McKinley Federal Savings and Loan, and the Arden Building, (now The Old Main Ale & Chowder House) located on the site of the McKinley home in downtown Niles before urban renewal.PO1.172 The Benedict Block, Arden building, is still standing as of January 1990 but the bank has been razed to make way for the replica of the McKinley Birthplace.	The Olde Main Ale & Chowder House. Niles Daily Time 9.18.1986 Hugh McGarrity came to Niles from the East Coast and opened the Olde Main & Chowder House March 27, 1977. He said, “He could find here in Niles the kind of salon he was used to back East.” McGarrity recalled, “The kind of men’s bar you find in Boston that serves good food. So he decided to put a Boston-style bar in Niles.” The site for the Olde Main sits on the birthplace of the President William McKinley. Hugh operated the bar until his death November 21, 1985. McGarrity’s brothers, Mark and George, took over the tavern, but decided earlier this year to put it up for sale. Niles daily Times 12.8.87 Jim Flick The Olde Main & Chowder House may be about to change hands. Niles resident, Carol Lepsesty is attempting to acquire the landmark tavern, according to her lawyer, Daniel P. Thomas of Warren. Lepsesty’s CRM Entertainment Inc. has filed a transfer application with the Ohio Department of Liquor Control, asking that the Old Main’s liquor license be transferred to the company from the estate of Hugh McGarrity. The price Lepsesty is paying for the business has not been disclosed, but Mark McGarrity said earlier this year that he and his brother were asking $250,000. Thomas admitted the sale is contingent upon the transfer of the liquor license and remarked, “There should be no problem with it.” Thomas described his client as a Niles native who moved to California but has moved back to the city. Last Wednesday, City Council received notice of the liquor license transfer application. The notice was accepted and referred to Safety Director Anthony Marsico and Police Chief John Ross. This is standard procedure. If the city officials would find something unsatisfactory in Lepsesty’s background, an objection to the transfer request could be filed. However, city officials are not likely to object. Niles Daily Times Patricia Meade-Pugh May 17, 1990. Rampage at the Olde Main. It’s that time of year again-the 13th Annual “Ramp Festival” starts this Saturday at the Olde Main & Chowder House. Just follow your nose once you hit Main Street to find the celebration. By its 2:30 closing time, Olde Main owner Carol Lepsesty expects to have served 500-600 customers an aromatic array of dishes flavored by her 120-pound cache of ramps-or rampions, the pungent onion-garlic turnip wonder that she says causes all the restaurant’s exhaust fans to do double duty. This traditional event was started by former Olde Main owner Hugh McGarrity 12 years ago and the popular eatery’s new owner says the interest in this ramp ritual is “amazing.” This year’s ample supply of this gourmet’s delight means some of the redolent ramps will find their way into odorous omelets, scented soups, breath-taking breads, pungent pork roasts and strong-smelling steaks. Cook June DeAngelo has perfected several recipes that are sure to send diner’s olfactory organs into overdrive.