{"nrhp_refnum":"86001944","name":"Strouss-Hirschberg Company","other_names":["Strouss' Department Store"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"14--28 Federal Plaza W","address_restricted":false,"city":"Youngstown","county":"Mahoning County","state":"OH","lat":41.10032840300005,"lon":-80.63540814099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-07-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A seven-story commercial department store building at 14-28 Federal Plaza West in downtown Youngstown, Mahoning County, Ohio, built in 1926 to designs by Starrett & Van Vleck, with a nine-story addition from 1947.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building reflects the commercial growth of Youngstown since 1875 and housed the city's oldest locally owned department store. It also has one of the most distinctive white glazed terra cotta facades downtown, which contributes to the Federal Plaza West streetscape.","narrative":"This seven-story department store at 14-28 Federal Plaza West in downtown Youngstown was built in 1926 for the Strouss-Hirshberg Company. The firm began in 1875, when Isaac Strouss and Bernard Hirshberg bought a pioneer dry goods business, and it grew alongside the city. By the 1920s it had 50 departments, 400 employees and annual receipts of $4 million, which led it to commission the architects Starrett & Van Vleck. The steel-frame building has a white glazed terra cotta front with elaborate pier and spandrel detail, rounded pilasters in the second and sixth bays, and dentilled cornices. The rear facade on Commerce Street is plainer but compatible. A nine-story addition was made on the Phelps Street side in 1947. Standing between the First National Bank Building and the Wick Building, it is described as an architectural link in the streetscape and as a reminder of Youngstown's prosperity in the 1920s. It was listed for its commercial history and its well-preserved terra cotta design.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Starrett & Van Vleck (architects); S. Phelps listed as builder on the inventory form","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Inventory form lists the building as in good condition and still in use as a department store; the statement of significance calls it the city's oldest department store still in operation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:14.783209-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/86001944.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001944/9a2d57380f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86001944/9a2d57380f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Strouss-Hirschberg_Company.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Strouss-Hirschberg_Company.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71985826","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138569020"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/mahoning-county/strouss-hirschberg-company-86001944/"}