Nostalgia in Massillon

Massillon, Ohio, alternatively known as Tiger Town and City of Champions, is one of those towns that has fallen on hard times, but the history, architecture and charms continues to shine. Although not born here, silent film star Lillian Gish spent a great deal of her childhood in the city and is claimed by the city. I fear that my reason for coming to Massillon is at an end. (Just as I was getting comfortable spelling the name of the city.)

One of the nice things about walking through town is examining the old buildings and connecting it with local history. The remnants of a local confectionery are still visible. The Sugar Bowl, which was established in 1902 and was a tradition in the city, is no more. The entrance reveals a vacant storefront; however, this painted wall, which faces Diamond Court, is a reminder of a business that lasted nearly a century in Massillon. It was a place where local people gather after games and dances, for dates, and when being social with one another. An even older business is the Liebermann Bakery, opened in 1882, and still making delicious treats and breads today. Although I tried to avoid such delights as a rule, I stopped in for a Boston cream doughnut and a cup of coffee while in town. It was nice to stand in a small shop where you could see the people working, making bread and cakes, and local people were there for a weekend ritual. It is difficult to say why the tactile pleasure of warm baked goods and hot coffee, the experience of walking into a bakery and selecting from a multitude of choices, smelling fresh bread and speaking to those responsible for these delights is so satisfying. I walked by later in the day and the smells of baked good wafted onto the street, which only served to enhance my feelings for Liebermann. All I know is that this is not an experience one has at a megastores.

Of course many more buildings stand without the original tenants. Many buildings in the center of Massillon remain empty or under-utilized. One of the first buildings that stood out for me was the Bloomfield building on South Erie. It was the home of Bloomfield’s Furniture and its showroom was located in the building during the 1930s. During the post-World War II period it had moved to Lincoln Way (old US 30).

Outside Salem, Ohio

It is not easy to explain what compels me to stop while driving along back road. I am not always sure what I am seeing, but in this case the building just looked fascinating. Along the side of the road, near Salem, Ohio, the front plate of this brick building caught my eye. The inscription reads: “1908 / Dist No 4 / Green TP.” My best guess is that it is a former school house, but it has been difficult to track down any information so far.  

NYPL

For some of us of a certain predilection, the most important site in New York is the New York Public Library. Restaurants, theaters, shops, monuments and stadiums all beckon, but do not represent the repertoire of knowledge and culture collected within the walls of the exquisite building at 42nd and Fifth Avenue. Even if it is just a quick pass through the gift shop, a trip to the library is always rewarding.

The ceiling of the reading room surreptitiously
taken with my iPad

A few hours reading books in the main reading room, where no tourists are allowed to take photographs, is ennobling. Unlike many other libraries these days, the time-honored traditional of quiet reflection is largely observed. Often the only noises, which are magnified because of unusual silence is the frequent sound of the wooden chairs legs dragged across the tile floor and the infrequent coughs of patrons. It is a quiet oasis in the midst of a great bustling city. 

The best quality of a research library is that there are books and material that is available very few places, or nowhere else in the world. In fact, the New York Public Library system is a treasure trove of unique items. It is one of the things that makes the library so special and why so many fight to keep much of the collection on-site to continue to make it a working research library.

While the collection makes the library particularly useful, the building inspires us to greatness. At the entrance to the main reading rooms is a quote from John Milton that reminds us of the immortality of literature, words and books: “A good Booke is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, imbalm’d and treasur’d up on purpose to a life beyond life.” There are also corners of the library that reminds of us days passed; my favorite is the bank of public telephones in the basement that are, today, rarely used. 

Public telephones at the NYPL

I was reading a fairly obscure book by a British author (only 52 libraries around the world reported having a copy) from the early post-World War II era. I had expected to find the book distasteful and vehemently disagree with the ideas presented; however, I was struck by the thoughtful exploration of the issue in question. While I disagree with the overall premise, it did strike me as an interesting understanding of issues from a bygone day. The author had written five other books, which made me wonder if the library held copies. More broadly, what ideas, thoughts, stories, narratives and collections must be contained in the volumes within the stacks of the library? These are the types of books that are not on any type of electronic device and likely never will be. When was the last time someone read the book I read on that beautiful fall afternoon? Are there books that have not been read in decades that would be discovered by a patron later today? Next week? Or next year?  

Vintage South Loop Chicago

A number of item caught my eyes on a recent trip to Chicago and the following are three that are interesting but I do not have anything particular to write about.   

Blue Star Auto Parts sign – 2001 South State Street 

Universal Pluming – 1815 South State Street 

Yellow Cab sign painted on the side of a building as seen from South Wabash 

between Cermak Road and East 21st Street