Front View of Thomas House

Ward-Thomas Museum

Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums

Five images of buildings and grounds

New Postwar Homes in Niles

Ward — Thomas Museum
Home of the Niles Historical Society
503 Brown Street Niles, Ohio 44446

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The Baby-Boomer Years and Postwar Housing

At the end of World War Two, soldiers returning from the battlefield found their sweetheart, got married, and began to raise a family. Due to the birthrate explosion, this time period would become known as the 'Baby-Boom'.

These new Niles' families needed new homes and builders added new homes in various areas: Off North Main Street, Wade and Rose Construction erected homes on Wade and Wilson Avenue. Below Vienna Avenue, homes were developed on Frederick Street and along North Road new homes were being built.

The Niles City School Board and Administration began planning the addition of several new schools to accomodate the flood of the Baby-Boom students. A bond Levy was passed in 1953 and building plans were developed with construction starting in 1955. The old Lincoln School on Cedar Street was to be replaced with the new Lincoln Elementary School on Frederick Street, S.J. Bonham Elementary School on East Margaret was to provide classrooms for the North Road students and a new Niles McKinley High School on Trumbull Drive for grades 10-12 would allow the old high school on Church Street (Edison Jr.) to house grades 7-9. By combining all students in grades 7-9 at Edison, Washington Junior High School would become the last elementary school to be enlarged.

The new Lincoln and S.J. Bonham schools opened in 1956 and 1957 respectively with the new Niles McKinley High School being dedicated in the Fall of 1957. Later in 1965, a new Jackson Elementary School would be built on Smith Street to replace the 1893 Jackson Building on Warren Avenue. Harrison School in McKinley Heights was closed in 1956 and the elementary students were bussed to Washington Elementary.

The former Niles High School on Church and Arlington streets became Edison Junior High School in the Fall of 1958 and all junior high students attended grades 7-8-9 there.


A new street, yet unnamed,being developed in Niles North Side by the Wade Construcion Company.

A new street, yet unnamed,being developed in Niles North Side by the Wade Construcion Company.

New homes being erected in Wade Avenue in a new North Side addition being built by the Rose Construction Company.

New homes being erected in Wade Avenue in a new North Side addition being built by the Rose Construction Company.

A new group of homes on Frederick Avenue just off Vienna Avenue.


New homes on Arden Boulevard built by Custom Built Homes.

New homes on Arden Boulevard built by Custom Built Homes.

The earliest houses were on Niles' South Side, West Park Avenue, Warren Avenue Area and the East End. Also, along the main streets such as Robbins Avenue and Vienna Avenue homes were built. Side streets were developed such as Cedar, Bentley, Lincoln, and Hartzell as Niles expanded in the 1880s-1900s.

 


Planning a Block Party for our
new neighborhood in 1949.

Planning a Block Party for our

This is the new East Wilson Avenue of Niles, "Our Street" to 37 families living in new postwar homes.

This is the new East Wilson Avenue of Niles, "Our Street" to 37 families living in new postwar homes.

"They're off" and another foot race over

"They're off" and another foot race over
newly-paved Wilson Avenue gets under way.

The 'Nuclear Family', so named due to the atomic age, was a mother and father with two children. Dad worked and most Moms stayed at home while the kids walked to their neighborhood school.

There were the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, neighborhood friends to play with in various games such a tag, hide-and-seek.

Everyone played outside, weather permitting, sat at a table for a home-cooked dinner and came home when the porch light came on or perhaps a whistle to remind you.

Good manners and respect were expected or discipline was administered quickly.


A street dance, with music climaxed the evening for Mom and Pop. Ray Sanfrey is in the front row with white t-shirt.

A street dance, with music climaxed the evening for Mom and Pop. Ray Sanfrey is in the front row with white t-shirt.

A blanket-swathed two-week old baby was the

A blanket-swathed two-week old baby was the
youngest party-goer and attracted quite a crowd at the side of his temporary custodian, Mrs. John Cassidy.

A blanket-swathed two-week old baby was the

Tricycles brought out all kinds of velocipedes and youthful drivers. Skinned knees and elbows were treated with mercurochrome to remind you to avoid falls.


Wade Avenue as it appeared in 2019 taken from the same vantage point as the 1949 images.
 
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