The Youngstown Mattress Company

I sort of dropped the ball on this one, but I’m going to pick it back up. I went back a week or two ago to get pictures of the poor, gutted Mattress Co. It was so sad. I had heard that it was an Arts effort and even not knowing anything about it, that made it much worse. It means that there were things destroyed that can never be replaced, not in a million years.

I got two rockin’ comments from Greg at YoungstownFire.com and he gave me some more information about the whole ordeal. His site, by the way, is wildly cool. There are a lot of astouding pictures – far better pictures than I managed to get, most especially because I was afraid to go too close, lest I be in the way (or lest someone get pissed at me)! Yeah, I’m a closet pyro – but really, who isn’t? And I will be the first to tell you that disasters like this are disturbing and saddening, but there is also something fascinating and powerful about them. I won’t go into that again, because I already yammered about it. :}

Greg says [with links added afterward]:

Good day. I read your blog and the fire you took photos of was the Youngstown Mattress Company Arts Center. It was a renovated Mattress Maufacturing building converted to studio apartments and small shops. I am facinated with fire photography and in the daily life of firefighters. I created http://www.youngstownfire.com to share my interest with others and to honor the men and women who fight the battles you were so drawn to.

The second fire you linked to was a trailer fire in Youngstown, Florida. WJHG is their local NBC affiliate.

There was a second vacant house fire on the South Side while the Yo Mattress Comapny Arts Center was burning.

The third fire you linked to on firehouse.com was a photo story I submitted on the 520 Garfield structure fire. It was a different day entirely :)

[Note from Megan: With breathtaking photos!]

I loved your photos! They capture exactly what I saw as I was on my way to photograph the fire. You caught the fire early on. Here is some information you can add, the fire was at the Youngstown Mattress Arts Center at 40 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (You can see more pictures in the Youngstown Fire Department in Action galleries). The building was 105 years old. In photo 15175954_618ce086ac_o.jpg, the red and brick building with the flag is the main Youngstown Fire Station. Let me know what other questions you have about the fire and I’ll try and answer them :)

Peace.
Greg

So thanks for the kind words and the offer, dude! I guess the thing I am wondering most is whether there is an existing website for the Youngstown Mattress Co. as an Arts Center, or if there is somewhere I can find out more information about it. It kills me that I didn’t even know it existed, and now it’s gone. If anyone has questions they want to ask Greg, gimme and I’ll post em (or I’ll email him). And then we’ll have answers. :}

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