About
Knox Bldg, 110 West Federal Youngstown, operated in accordance with Lemon Grove LLC's mission to serve the Cultural and Economic Vitality of Youngstown, OH.
Featuring its flagship/ first floor Kitchen & Bar in partnership with the Martini Bros: The Federal. Dramatized for an international audience on Bar Rescue
Floor Two: Lemon Grove
Floor Three: McKelvey Gallery
The Building: After the original nineteenth century structure was destroyed by fire, pioneer developers Wick, Salow, and Wells rebuilt their property at 110 West Federal in 1909. It was a modern, steel and brick, five story behemoth. S.H. Knox & Co. Five and Dime was the primary tenant at the location on Youngstown’s main drag since at least 1892. A cousin of F.W. & Sum Woolworth, S.H. Knox joined them in business at Reading, PA in 1884 opening their first store together. The partnership thrived, opening locations in Newark, Erie, and Buffalo. In 1890 Knox established headquarters in Buffalo and proceeded to trailblaze his own urban retail chain before merging with the Woolworths to form one publicly traded company in 1912. In addition to the name change at 110 West Federal and across the nation, this led to construction of the Woolworth Building in NYC. The Woolworth Bldg was one of the first skyscrapers and the world’s tallest until 1930. Knox remained integral in the Woolworth empire, serving as vice president until his death in 1915. Knox’s son “Shorty” was “the Dean of American art patrons” according to his 1990 New York Times obituary. In addition to directing several corporations, including Woolworth, Seymour H. Knox II was the first chairman of the New York State Council on the Arts. Andy Warhol immortalized him in portrait in 1985.
In 2012, Lemon Grove moved its operations from the original location two doors down with the mission to fully renovate the structure as an international arts and cultural destination true to its city, Youngstown, OH.