(side A)
The Canfield WPA Memorial Building was constructed by the Works Progress Administration, a federal government program instituted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as an effort to aid the United States in its recovery from the Great Depression of the late 1920s and 1930s. Local merchant Arron Weisner donated lands on the west side of Broad Street for the proposed project. A six member committee, comprised of two persons each representing the Argus Masonic Lodge, the American Legion, and the Village of Canfield, determined that the building be "a community building built around community projects." Through local subscription and $60,000 in federal funds, the WPA project moved forward. The Youngstown architectural firm of W.H. Cook and W. Canfield designed the building in the Colonial Revival style. A ground breaking ceremony was held on December 20, 1935. During World War II, the United States government maintained offices in the building.
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(side B)
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The WPA Memorial Building features exterior, hand cut sandstone details that were mined at the Dean Hill Quarry, located in Canfield. The first floor housed the George N. Boughton Library, a branch of the Reuben McMillan Free Library of Mahoning County and also included an auditorium, with a stage and seating for three hundred people. Its design was to accommodate community activities, the "Canfield Players," and the "Roxy" movie theatre. The admission charge to the movie was fourteen cents. A large meeting hall with kitchen facilities on the second floor was occupied by the American Legion Post 177 and the Ladies Auxiliary. The Argus Masonic Lodge designed the spacious third floor level with elaborate amenities that included hand painted wall murals by local artist Ralph Ellis. The basement level featured recreational facilities for the youth of Canfield. By 1978, the building was in major disrepair. The building has since been purchased by private investors and restored.
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