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28-481: On May 28, 2024, a large and powerful explosion destroyed most of the first floor of the Realty Building in the downtown district of Youngstown, Ohio , US, and severely damaged the floors above it, killing one bank employee and injuring seven. The explosion was suspected to have been caused by a natural gas leak , although the official cause of the explosion is still under investigation. The Realty Building

56-730: A British ceramics manufacturer, has its U.S. headquarters based in Youngstown. Other companies with offices downtown include JPMorgan Chase , FNB Corporation , Huntington Bancshares , KeyBank , PNC Bank , InfoCision , and the Youngstown Business Incubator. The United States Postal Service has a distribution center downtown. The Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI), in the heart of downtown, houses several start-up technology companies that have received office space, furnishings, and access to utilities. Some Incubator-supported companies have earned recognition, and

84-480: A bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1960 and a master's degree in architecture from Yale University in 1965. Stern has cited the historian Vincent Scully and the architect Philip Johnson as early mentors and influences. After graduating from Yale, Stern worked as a curator for the Architectural League of New York , a job he gained through his connection to Philip Johnson . While at

112-521: A different period. In 1986, he hosted "Pride of Place: Building the American Dream", an eight-part documentary series that aired on PBS. The series featured Peter Eisenman , Leon Krier , Philip Johnson , Frank Gehry and other notable architects. "Pride of Place" was well received by the public. Many of Stern's early works were private houses in the New York metropolitan area , including in

140-538: A few are starting to outgrow their current space. Inc. Magazine rated one such company– Turning Technologies –as the fastest-growing privately held software company in the United States and 18th fastest-growing privately held company overall. To keep such companies downtown, the YBI secured approval to demolish a row of nearby vacant buildings to clear space for expansion. The Stambaugh building, which once housed

168-528: A half years at New York City's Housing and Development Administration, after which he established Stern & Hagmann with John S. Hagmann , a fellow student from his days at Yale. In 1977 he founded its successor firm, Robert A.M. Stern Architects , now known as RAMSA. Stern remains a partner at RAMSA, and has indicated he has no plans to retire. Stern was the dean of the Yale School of Architecture from 1998 to 2016, and has continued to teach there since

196-473: The Covelli Centre and Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals in 2006. In 2005, Federal Street, a major downtown thoroughfare that was closed off to create a pedestrian-oriented plaza, reopened to traffic. The downtown area has seen the razing of structurally unsound buildings and the expansion or restoration of others. New construction has dovetailed with efforts to cultivate business growth. One of

224-782: The Hamptons and in Westchester County . Early commercial commissions included projects for Walt Disney World such as Disney's Yacht Club Resort , Disney's Beach Club Resort and the masterplan for Celebration, Florida , and from 1992−2003, Stern served on the board of the Walt Disney Company . Stern is now better known for his large-scale condominium and apartment building projects in New York City, which include 20 East End Avenue , The Chatham, The Brompton and 15 Central Park West . The latter was, at

252-627: The United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley to collect donations and essential items for those displaced by the explosion. The OH WOW! Children's Museum scheduled announced a community event for June 29 to aid collection for United Way and to make "thank you" cards for first responders. On June 17, it was announced that due to structural instability, the Realty Building will be demolished. Downtown Youngstown Youngstown's traditional downtown area fell into steep decline in

280-414: The 1970s and early 1980s. Amid the departure of retail businesses along the main thoroughfare of West Federal Street, municipal officials made a decision to close the street to vehicle traffic in order to build a pedestrian-oriented shopping area. By the mid-1980s, most of the downtown area's department stores and movie theaters had closed up. Meanwhile, the city's car dealerships relocated in the suburbs. By

308-576: The League, he organized the second 40 Under 40 show, which featured his own work alongside work of then-little-known architects Charles Moore , Robert Venturi and Romaldo Giurgola , all of whom were featured in the influential issue of Perspecta that Stern edited a year before at Yale. Upon leaving the Architectural League in 1966, Stern worked briefly as a designer in the office of the architect Richard Meier , then worked for two and

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336-537: The Youngstown Board of Control were present in the basement to clear debris, piping, and old utility lines for water, gas, electrical, data, and phone lines. They made three cuts onto a pipeline on the basement wall, with the third cut believed to have caused a gas leak six minutes prior to the explosion. After evacuating the basement, the crew immediately pulled the fire alarm , alerted the Chase Bank on

364-542: The Youngstown Sheet and Tube headquarters was renovated into a 4-star DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in 2018. 41°6′N 80°39′W  /  41.100°N 80.650°W  / 41.100; -80.650 Robert A. M. Stern Robert Arthur Morton Stern (born May 23, 1939) is a New York City–based architect, educator, and author. He is the founding partner of the architecture firm, Robert A. M. Stern Architects, also known as RAMSA. From 1998 to 2016, he

392-519: The area's more successful business ventures in recent years has been the Youngstown Business Incubator. This nonprofit organization, based in a former downtown department store building, fosters the growth of fledgling technology-based companies. The incubator, which boasts more than a dozen business tenants, recently completed construction on the Taft Technology Center, where some of its largest tenants will locate their offices. While

420-409: The basement prior to the explosion played a significant role in evacuating several residents in the building after the explosion. Following the explosion, Youngstown city officials restricted access to the building due to the explosion possibly compromising its structural integrity. They hired consultant engineers Barber and Hoffman to collaborate with the building's owners and insurers on investigating

448-515: The building to assess its safety and whether the building can be repaired or if it needs to be demolished. National Transportation Safety Board investigators were not able to access the building to investigate and collect evidence of what caused the blast until the structural integrity of the building was finished being assessed. A celebration of life service was held for Akil Drake on June 7 and June 8. Starbucks in Austintown partnered with

476-506: The city and the United States when complete. In 2017 RAMSA completed a major addition to the campus of Yale University, with two new residential colleges, Pauli Murray College and Benjamin Franklin College , both designed in a Collegiate Gothic style. In the 1970s, and early 1980s, Stern developed a reputation as a postmodern architect for integrating classical elements into his designs for contemporary buildings, but in

504-409: The city has been less successful in drawing large retail businesses back to the downtown, older buildings are being refurbished for smaller businesses, while others have been razed to make way for new buildings. The downtown is currently the site of the Covelli Centre , which has given Youngstown a professional hockey team. Youngstown State University is the largest employer in the city. Steelite ,

532-413: The design as "[carrying] forward the proportions of the classical obelisk". The scheme, along with Stern's 15 Central Park West , and his master plan for Celebration, were cited as contributing factors in his having won the award. More recently, Stern has designed three skyscrapers in New York City, 220 Central Park South , 520 Park Avenue and 30 Park Place , which will be among the tallest buildings in

560-540: The early 1990s, the downtown had become a stark symbol of the community's economic decline. In the 2000s, additions included the Nathaniel R. Jones Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in 2002 (which features an award-winning design by the architectural firm, Robert A. M. Stern Architects ), the Mahoning County Children's Services center and George Voinovich Government Center in 2004, and both

588-580: The end of his tenure. Previously, he taught at Columbia University, in the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation , and from 1984 to 1988 was the director of Columbia's Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture. A prolific writer, Stern has authored, co-authored, and edited numerous books about architecture, including five volumes about New York City's architectural history, each focusing on

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616-450: The first floor, called 911 , and tried to evacuate residents. On May 28, 2024, at 2:45 p.m. EDT (18:45 UTC ), a large explosion occurred at the base of the building, destroying the façade, throwing glass, brick, and other debris onto the sidewalk, caused the downtown area of Youngstown to rumble, and causing the first floor housing a Chase Bank to collapse into the basement. The explosion killed 27-year-old bank employee Akil Drake, who

644-402: The mid-1980s, his work became more traditional, more in keeping with the then emerging New Classical architectural movement . Stern, however, has rejected such characterizations, arguing that his projects draw on vernacular context and local traditions. In recent years, the work of Stern's office has ranged from traditional to modernist, depending on the building type and project location, and

672-434: The time of its completion, one of the most financially successful apartment buildings ever constructed, with sales totaling $ 2 billion. Stern has designed some of the tallest structures in the United States, including the glass-clad Comcast Center, the second tallest building in both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania . The Driehaus Prize committee (commenting on a preliminary, stone-clad, pyramidal-topped scheme) characterized

700-566: Was constructed in 1924 for the Realty Guarantee and Trust Company, and was designed by architect Morris W. Scheibel. In 1955, gale-force winds severely damaged and tore the roof off of the building, requiring $ 50,000 to repair. In 2009, the building was renovated into a 23-unit apartment complex. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . On the day of the explosion, Greenheart Companies workers approved by

728-549: Was designed by Stern; the 200,000 square foot campus houses one of the most advanced higher-education facilities in the world and is one of the first LEED Gold-certified academic buildings in China. Born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, in 1939 to a Jewish family, Stern spent his earliest years with his parents in the nearby Manhattan borough. After 1940, they moved back to Brooklyn, where Stern grew up. Stern received

756-410: Was found deceased in the basement. The explosion also injured seven people who were taken to Mercy Health Hospital, with one person in critical condition. A security camera video taken inside the 12th floor of the building showed fire alarms going off and residents evacuating before the explosion occurred, which blew out walls and caused significant damage inside the elevator lobby. Workers who were in

784-793: Was the Dean of the Yale School of Architecture . His firm's major works include the classically styled New York apartment building, 15 Central Park West ; two residential colleges at Yale University ; Philadelphia's Museum of the American Revolution ; and the modernist Comcast Center skyscraper in Philadelphia. In 2011, Stern was honored with the Driehaus Architecture Prize for his achievements in contemporary classical architecture . Schwarzman College

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