EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published on Richland Source in 2014.
MANSFIELD — The skyline of the Square in downtown Mansfield has been a slowly evolving work-in-progress since the space was laid out over 200 years ago.
One corner of it, however, took a quantum leap in architectural change when a catastrophic fire wiped out two North Park Street landmarks, on Feb. 18, 1944.
This photo essay of images — spanning 125 years — documents the different ways that the northeast corner of the Square has appeared to different generations of Mansfielders.
The above images are interactive and will show full view with text when clicked on.
Photos in this article come from the collections of Phil Stoodt, Mark Hertzler, Richland County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, the Sherman Room of the Mansfield Richland County Public Library, and Google Maps.
Newsreel footage of the 1944 Fire was captured by Harry DeLaney for audiences at the Ohio Theater. The film was damaged by the severe cold that proved a great hindrance to the efforts of the Mansfield Fire Department.
