History of corner buildings at Park and Main



Early Street Maps From Centennial Club History, 1934 A map filed in the office of the county recorder, dated 1837, three years after the city was laid out and believed to be the earliest existing map of Niles, shows the extent of the village as planned by James Heaton over a century ago. It consisted of eight of the present city blocks included between Church Street on the north, the Mahoning River on the south, Arlington Avenue on the west and State Street on the east. There were no buildings on the east side of what is now State Street and the grassy slope offered an unobstructed view of the creek, the more distant Mahoning river, the busy grist mill and the smoking Heaton mill in the foreground along the creek (Mosquito) bank. PO1.666	In the village plat of 1837, there were fifty-four lots recorded, twenty-nine of which were owned by James Heaton and his son, Warren, and twelve more were jointly held by Heaton and Robbins. The remaining lots were recorded in the names of Thomas Evans, A. Kingsley, John Dray, James Dempsey, J. Frederick, Ambrose Mason, David Bowell, Jacob Robeson, M. Rider, and one lot, that is now the McKinley Research Center, by William McKinley, Sr. That there were fifty-four lots in the first plat by no means indicates that there were fifty-four dwellings. Most of the lots were vacant, there being but thirteen recorded property owners. PO1.665	Some of the streets bore different names then and until much later, Main Street and Water Street were as now, but Park Avenue was James Street until after 1900 and extended east only to State Street until after 1900. State Street was Mill Street as it led directly to the gristmill(and Furnace Street due to the mills along the Mahoning River), and Arlington Street was Mechanic Street. The four lots defining the intersection of Main and James Streets were owned by James Dempsey, A. Kingsley, James Heaton and Heaton and Robbins. PO1.665 close-up
History of the buildings located at the north-east corner of the Main Street and Park Avenue intersection.
The Sandford House was later built on the lot originally owned by A. Kingsley. The Allison Hotel, built on the site of the Sanford House in 1904, had its formal opening in 1905. It was located on the north-east corner of North Main and East Park Ave in downtown Niles.	The intersection of Main Street and Park Avenue about 1907-1908. After the street had been paved in 1897, except for the building of the Allison Hotel in 1905, the downtown remained relatively unchanged until the completion of the Memorial in 1917 and the Dollar Bank in 1918.	In the foreground is the Allison Hotel, later named the Heaton Hotel around 1930 and finally the Antler Hotel. The house across James Street(East Park Avenue) on the southeast corner was the old Ward Residence built in the early 1840s. After the Wards moved to their more elaborate home on Brown Street in 1862, known today as The Ward-Thomas Museum today, this house was used as a hotel for many years until it was torn down in 1918 for the Dollar Bank Building. Farmers National Bank is located here. PO1.905

The Allison Hotel was renamed Hotel Heaton, after the founder of the village, sometime between 1905 and 1930. This 1930 view of the Heaton Hotel is from the construction site of the Niles Bank Building on the south-west corner of Main Street and Park Avenue.PO1.21	The Antler Hotel as it appeared before urban renewal in 1976. Read about urban renewal in Niles. A coin and shoe repair shop were part of the ground floor businesses. S01.497	The Heaton Hotel was renamed the Antler Hotel until it and adjoining buildings were demolished during urban renewal in 1976. Most of the original downtown buildings were torn down during urban renewal. S11.134

The Antler Hotel and adjoining buildings on North Main Street before urban renewal in 1976.	The same location after new construction after urban renewal in 1976.	After the Antler Hotel was razed in 1976, new construction resulted in a new all-brick building named Main Place. The Main Place Building first and second floors are occupied by several small businesses; a dance studio and a Subway sandwich shop, among others (2018).
History of the buildings located at the south-east corner of the Main Street and Park Avenue intersection.
This 1908 view of Main Street shows the Allison Hotel, the Ward Residence now a hotel, The Harris House, and on the northwest corner I.O.O.F building built in 1905 and Swaney Building built in 1906 that would become Calvin’s Drug store in 1914. Read about the Ward Family.	This picture was taken about 1905. Closer view of the Ward residence on the south-east corner of Main Street and Park Avenue. “The Grand” dominates the block. Carmella’s had opened their Ice Cream Parlor next to it. Later, Morral’s Clothing Store and the Bakery and Restaurant would be replaced with brick buildings. The Armstrong-Morral Building would become the Ideal Department Store and the Wagstaff Building, Ragazzo’s Men’s Shop. PO1.912	Closer view of the buildings on the east side of South Main Street. See building descriptions to the left. The Crandon Building built in 1904 became Hoffman’s Store the following year. It burned down in 1962, marking the decline of downtown Niles. PO1.915

This picture was taken about 1905. “The Grand” dominates the block. Carmella’s had opened their Ice Cream Parlor next to it. Later, Morral’s Clothing Store and the Bakery and Restaurant would be replaced with brick buildings. The Armstrong-Morral Building would become the Ideal Department Store and the Wagstaff Building, Ragazzo’s Men’s Shop. The Crandon Building built in 1904 became Hoffman’s Store the following year. It burned down in 1962, marking the decline of downtown Niles.	This postcard, dated August 19, 1927, shows the Dollar Bank building and several brick buildings that were built before 1900 on the east side of South Main Street. Read about the history of the Dollar Bank	South Main Street August 1, 1976 - mixes the old with the new. H.R. Block Income tax and the Men & Boys Shop are in the Grand Saloon building. The building. where Caramella’s Ice Cream Parlor was located was torn down in the 1960’s. The next two buildings replaced the wooden W. Morrall store and the bakery were built about 1920. The new Theis drug store can be seen, built in 1976 as part of the urban renewal. In the foreground is the Dollar Savings Bank, built on that corner in 1918. PO1.39
History of the buildings located at the south-west corner of the Main Street and Park Avenue intersection.


	Above left: On the plat originally owned by James Ward, located on the corner of South Main and West Park Avenue the Harris house was built in 1842. From 1842 - 1865 it served as a hotel. From 1865 - 1905 it was the Harris residence. From 1905 to 1929 business were located in the building. This structure was demolished in August 1929 prior to the construction of the Niles tallest building -The Niles Trust Company Bank building. Above center: The house on the left was built in 1842 as a hotel. In 1865 it was purchased by the Harris family who occupied it until 1905. From then until 1920 it was used as a store and warehouse. In 1920, the Harris heirs sold it to the Niles Trust Co. In 1930, The Niles Trust Company Bank building was built on the site. The Lor-a-Lee diner can be seen in the back of the Harris building. Upon construction of the Niles Bank building, the diner was moved to a location opposite of the Wiiliam McKinley Memorial on north Main Street. PO1.226 Above right: November 19, 1922, newspaper delivery boys in front of the newsstand on Main Street with manager William Klatt. Left: The Niles Trust Company Bank building opened in its new Art Deco building in 1930 in Niles, Ohio, but closed during the Great Depression when The Niles Trust Company failed to open its doors on September 28, 1931, with its deposits of millions of dollars frozen; the building later became the Niles Professional Building, housing various tenants, and remains a historic downtown landmark with its original vault still inside, later marketed for new uses like restaurants or apartments around 2018. PO1.33 Read more about the The Niles Trust Company Bank Building.
History of the buildings located at the north-west corner of the Main Street and Park Avenue intersection.


	Above left: Swaney and IOOF buildings were built between the years of 1904 and 1905. They located on the northwest corner of Park Avenue and Main Street on lot originally owned by James Demsey(1834). PO1.233 Above center: View of North Main Street, ca 1910. The Swaney building would become Calvin’s Drug store in 1914. This picture of buildings in downtown shows Calvin’s, Odd fellows, Bakery, large white building with 2 horse drawn buggies in the street. PO1.318 Above right: Photo taken of the Swaney Building when it housed Calvin’s Drug Store and the IOOF building. Dated 1975, it was located at the northwest corner of Park and Main. The red brick Swaney building, of classical Revival style, originally had a decorative cornice which was marked “Swaney”, but at some time over the years it was removed. When the Swaney brothers built this building, they had had offices on one of the upper floors and there were also fashionable apartments on the above-street-level floors. Originally, the Niles Drug Company, which was owned by the doctors, occupied the first floor of this building, but by 1914, Calvin Drug was the occupant of this store front and remained in this location until the late 1970s. PO1.221 Left above: Photo taken of the Swaney or Calvin Building on left, IOOF Lodge Building on right on the Northwest corner of Park Avenue and Main Street, Niles, Ohio. Photo taken November 1988. S11.265 Left: street view looking north on Main Street of the Swaney block and Allison Hotel, ca 1918 Read more about the Swaney Building