MANSFIELD — The search for lost civilizations intrigues many people in our day and age. Local settlements like Newville, Greentown, Newcastle, and Millsboro were founded only never to be heard from again. Coincidentally, Mansfield Ohio is celebrating its bicentennial this summer.
This following relic story investigates the role verifying that Christianity provided a redemptive role in preserving Mansfield as a landmark.
The Streetscape Collaboration (1977-1981 A.D.)
Downtown Mansfield was fast becoming a downcast and desolate area. With the exodus of major industrial powerhouses leaving the urban flats, blight was extending into the nearby central business district. Windows of buildings were being boarded up and graffiti replacing business signs on storefronts.
In a show at the Renaissance Theater, legendary comedian Bill Cosby ridiculed the appearance of the city for its lack of life. General consensus was the downtown needed revitalization, but the agreement stopped there.
Up to forty different revitalization plans were presented to the public within a ten-year span. Due to dissension among major city players, a stalemate ensued and the plans forgotten.
But a select few decided to set the wheels in motion. Most notably, three clergymen from downtown churches: Pastor Jerry Schmallenberger of First English Lutheran, Monsignor Edward Dunn of St. Peter’s Catholic Church, and Pastor Robert Baker of First United Methodist. City Economic Director Richard Prater also partnered with the clergymen.
“It was an ecumenical cooperation that expanded beyond personal theologies and agendas. Our goal was to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. We as the Church, have a responsibility to be good stewards in our city; to bring GOD’s will on earth as it is in heaven.”
Reverend Jerry schmallenberger
In 1977, the pastors helped form a coalition of downtown tenants and merchants supporting a Lima, Ohio model including a landscaping and infrastructure improvement.
“When the three of us (local clergymen) wanted something from City Council, we would all dress in clerics’ attire and sit together in the front row,” recalls Reverend Schmallenberger. “We went door to door to all the bars and businesses getting them to sign a commitment to the restoration plan. It was quite a spectacle as we canvassed and cajoled each owner!”
The $2.2 million project was completed in 1981 and encompassed a nine-block area with the centerpiece being Central Park.
Most agreed the pastors were the torch bearers of the petition drive. Signatures had to be obtained from downtown business owners and attorneys who represented downtown land trusts from as far as Cleveland and Pennsylvania.
“It was an ecumenical cooperation that expanded beyond personal theologies and agendas,” says Schmallenberger. “Our goal was to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. We as the Church, have a responsibility to be good stewards in our city; to bring GOD’s will on earth as it is in heaven.”
