WARREN — The Trumbull County Historical Society, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, Trumbull County Land Bank and the city have launched Warren Razed, a project to digitize Warren’s urban renewal and county land bank demolition records for the public.
“We have been trying to find ways to highlight Warren’s changing landscape from urban renewal in the 1960s-1970s to the present for a while,” Meghan Reed, director of the Trumbull County Historical Society, said.
“Warren lost approximately one-third of its downtown buildings during urban renewal, not to mention the whole neighborhood of the Flats that was dismantled. We started working with the city to identify the urban renewal records and images that were taken and see what we could do to preserve those stories.”
The project also digitized urban renewal blueprints and maps, available on the Warren Razed website. This work was partially funded by an Ohio History Fund grant of $12,043 to implement this project. The History Fund is made possible by voluntary contributions of state income tax refunds, sales of Ohio History “mastodon” license plates and other donations through www.ohiohistory.org/historyfund.
“I think this is a tremendous idea, and I really appreciate the aggressive pursuit of these grant dollars to help preserve our history,” Mayor Doug Franklin said. “It’s important that as we continue to move forward we do not lose sight of the past that helped shape who we are as a city.”
In developing the online platform, the project partners hoped to make transparent not only the demolitions that happened in the past, but the strategic downsizing seen in the city today.
In 2014, the Trumbull County Land Bank was awarded $14 million to take a much more strategic approach to demolish residential blighted, vacant property throughout Trumbull County in order to raise housing values and remediate eyesores.
More than 800 structures in Warren have been taken down since that time.
In 2021, the land bank demolished 77 blighted, abandoned properties, according to its annual report.
“We knew going in that we would be taking down buildings that were very personal to people,” Shawn Carvin, Trumbull County Land Bank director, said. “These were homes where people were raised and in many instances were beautiful houses at one time, but after sitting vacant for so long the houses that we have addressed had deteriorated beyond repair.”
“We are excited to partner on this project to create an accessible database of the storied homes and buildings that no longer exist in our community,” he continued.
Warren Community Development Director Michael Keys said he is pleased the city has been able to obtain the financing to do this project.
“These records need to be saved and available to the public,” Keys said.
The interactive map, as well as the maps and blueprints and project reports, are available at www.warrenrazed.org. All urban renewal records are now housed at the Trumbull County Historical Society.
To schedule an appointment to view this material or for more information, contact TCHS at 330-394-4653 or info@trumbull
countyhistory.org.