“The Morning Drive,” Christopher Leeper, 2017. Image used by permission of the artist.
A relative recently posted the above image on Facebook and tagged me, asking if I recognized the location. When I saw this, I gasped, because I realized that this was the view of Youngstown I had grown up with. The painting portrays the view down Mahoning Avenue toward downtown, with the east and northeast sides of the city in the distance, from a point just west of the intersection of North and South Portland Avenues. I lived two houses in, on North Portland. The view is from almost exactly the place where I waited for the 9 Mahoning bus to go downtown to work, or to walk up to Youngstown State.
The image is reproduced from a 26 x 39 watercolor painting (available for sale!) by Christopher Leeper, a fine Youngstown area artist living in Canfield. It is one of several recent works portraying West Side scenes. Leeper is a 1988 BFA graduate from Youngstown State, an adjunct faculty at Youngstown State, and past president of the Ohio Watercolor Society. We have seen him on public television in Columbus, where his works have been shown. You may view his work, learn more about him, or even contact him via his website: christopherleeper.com.
Some details caught my eye. One is the car toward the left turning into a side street. That would be my street. On the left side of Mahoning, behind the car is the building that used to be Dave’s Appliance store. Obviously, you are seeing the city on one of those cold, probably single digit days (vapor coming from the chimneys) that often follow snowfalls. I will have you notice that the streets are clear. Those of us who don’t live in snow belt areas like Youngstown just can’t understand why it takes days to plow the streets.
Our street was also off a hill. It was a good thing they were so good about clearing the snow. I remember blizzards where we would listen to the tractor trailer rigs hauling steel from the mills struggling up the hill. You will notice that the businesses (or at least the buildings where there used to be businesses) are all right next to the sidewalks. Some had parking lots on the side but many were meant to be walked to, or you would just park on the street.
The Youngstown area is often referred to as the Mahoning Valley. The painting gives one a sense of this with rising hills above the flood plains on each side of the Mahoning River. We were west and south of the river, which runs from northwest to southeast through the city. The faint hills in the distance were north and east of the river. This was more or less the view out my back window as a young boy, where I could look across and up and down the valley from our house.
The Beatles song, “In My Life” begins with these lines:
“There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain.”
This painting so caught my attention because the views, the vistas we grew up with are always there with us, always a part of us. True, some has changed, some not for the better, some gone, and some remaining. But the Valley is still there, the major downtown buildings, and even the utility poles lining the streets. The memories of cold, crisp sunny winter days come rushing back, with the vapor of a thousand chimneys rising across the Valley. May I never forget the view from home!
Post update: My wife and I both paint and after writing this post, we had a chance to take a workshop with Christopher Leeper. He is a great teacher and very approachable. Last summer, we had a chance to see his painting in a show at the Columbus Museum of Art–even more striking than the digital image!
Bob on Books 
Bob
Thanks for sharing the beautiful picture. As we have discussed before I lived from 1957-1965 at 11 South Lakview. My dad owned the 5 plex on the corner of Mahoning and Lakeview.
Brought back special memories!
Michelle Humans White
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Thanks to Christopher Leeper for permitting me to do so!
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Just checked out Christopher’s newsletter. Absolutely stunning!
MMW
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Amazing painting! My grandma Mary O’Connor and her son, teacher Ted O’Connor, lived first house in on Maryland Avenue right off Mahoning Avenue. This is the view down the avenue toward downtown — when I was a young child, I call there being a small movie theater down Mahoning on the left side.
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Was in that house many times. Nancy was a good friend, and your grandma read my fortune with her cards. So much fun.
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My Aunt Nancie! Amazing. Also, I did not realize my grandma read fortunes! LOL
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The building straight a crossed the street from Dave’s Furniture was Youngstown Harley Davidson where I worked in the middle to late 70’s. Thanks for the memories!!
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It used to be a grocery store. Can’t remember the name.
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I believe it was S and M’s grocery, right?
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Lazar’s
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Also on the corner where the car is turning left there used to be a house on that corner where my mother lived with my sister and her family!!
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I grew up in Youngstown also, Attended St. Brendan’s, and Chaney. As a teenager, I worked @ Murphys-
My Dad and Uncles owned & Worked @ the Hardware store, across the street just past the fire-station, [where one of my nieces was born] I was back a couple of years ago, to see some changes, especially to our home, and neighborhood. I will always remember Youngstown . . . I now live in CA, after touring several states, and ITALY, while my husband was in the US Navy. “Thanks for the memories” ❤
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Thanks for sharing your memorirs!
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favorite view of mine was from my dentist’s office-Dr. Boye-who was on 8th floor of home savings and loan tower-you could see all the mills and railroads in full production-also driving my mom to her teaching job at Washington School on west side where the bridge went right thru the mill.Then taking the brand new freeway-which destroyed a lot of near-town neighborhoods to school at Cardinal Mooney.Best industrial vistas anywhere
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Many good views of the city from various vantage points. The advantage of living in a valley.
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I lived on 32 N. Lakeview in the ’50’s til I was 6. Dave’s Furniture Store was our best place to get our favourite “playhouse” boxes. We’d go to the loading dock and bang on the door until they tossed us out a box then drag it up the street. Of course, my older brother always turned them into tanks. Took the ends off and stuck himself inside and somersaulted right over my stuffed animals. My mom would get her headache pills from the pharmacy kitty-corner from there. They had the best sour cherry “Charms” suckers. The lady who worked the counter always gave me one. Good memories. On the north side of the street was Pop’s Market. Of course that was the 1950’s. Drove by there when I was in town a couple years back. Sad to see what it has become.
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I lived on 32 N. Lakeview in the ’50’s til I was 6. Dave’s Furniture Store was our best place to get our favourite “playhouse” boxes. We’d go to the loading dock and bang on the door until they tossed us out a box then drag it up the street. Of course, my older brother always turned them into tanks. Took the ends off and stuck himself inside and somersaulted right over my stuffed animals. My mom would get her headache pills from the pharmacy kitty-corner from there. They had the best sour cherry “Charms” suckers. The lady who worked the counter always gave me one. Good memories. On the north side of the street was Pop’s Market. Of course that was the 1950’s. Drove by there when I was in town a couple years back. Sad to see what it has become.
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I remember Dave’s Appliances when the Westside was great.
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Thanks for all the history We started Star supply further East, near the Mahoning.
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I can see North Evanston at the bottom of Mahoning one block from Steel Street. Spent my first 7 years there. Went to Washington School my kindergarten to second grade. Moved to Canfield then but still keep vivid memories of the West Side. Borts?
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Doug, I did this article on the Borts family and farm that might be interesting: https://bobonbooks.com/2019/03/02/growing-up-in-working-class-youngstown-george-borts-farm/
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