Idora Park
Why it's listed
Idora Park is a 27-acre amusement park on a bluff overlooking Mill Creek valley in southwestern Youngstown, Ohio. It opened in 1899 as Terminal Park at the end of a trolley line and was renamed Idora Park the following year. Surviving resources include the large ballroom, an octagonal merry-go-round building, a penny arcade, a former bath house with a Georgian Revival portico, picnic shelters, and two wooden roller coasters, the Jack Rabbit of 1910 and the Wildcat. Fires in 1984 and 1986 destroyed several buildings and part of the Wildcat, and the park closed in 1984, but most major features remain. The park is significant for entertainment and recreation history, showing how streetcar-era amusement parks developed through the Big Band years, and for its resort-style wooden architecture with brackets, latticework and exotic details. It also reflects the industrial growth of the Mahoning Valley and its steel economy.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the park illustrates the evolution of American trolley-line amusement parks from the turn of the century through the Big Band era. Its surviving buildings and wooden roller coasters represent early twentieth century resort and amusement park architecture, and some elements are of national importance. It was also an important social center tied to the Mahoning Valley steel industry.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 93000895, listed September 13, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SE of the jct. of McFarland and Parkview Aves., Youngstown |
|---|---|
| County | Mahoning County |
| Listed | September 13, 1993 |
| Reference number | 93000895 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1899-1943 |
| Architect / builder | Philadelphia Toboggan Company; T. M. Harton Company |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Moderne, Other: Italianate, Other: Moorish |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed as an amusement park in 1984 and described as vacant and not in use, with some areas overgrown or deteriorated but retaining a high degree of integrity. |
| Acreage | 27 |
| Within district | Mill Creek Park Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.07228, -80.68472 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 93000895.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5989523
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.