West of the Black River (Lorain Part 1)

Today I rode into the city of Lorain once again, but this time I had a few key structures and locations I wanted to take pictures of to give you some "then and now" shots. I promise that this will be the last post for a while about Lorain, even though it will be a 2 part post, and I will do my best to focus on other parts of the county in the near future. So let's start with my (now traditional) map of my route.

16.03 Miles (Lorain is divided East and West by the red line)

Today I finally managed to cross over to the East side of the Black River via the Charles Berry Bascule Bridge (which will be one of the main focuses of part 2 of this post.)

I will start posting photographs and facts from West to East so that you can see how my ride progressed.

The Beaver Creek Marina 2014 (#1 on Route Map)

Beaver Creek 1907 (Courtesy Drew Penfield)

The rail line in the bottom 1907 photograph is part of the Lake Shore Electric Railway I have been harping on recently and it is also from exactly where I took the "now" picture. The railway is no more and it is now replaced by West Erie Avenue (US Route 6). The old bridge to the South in this picture was the old Lake Road and that used to be how people crossed Beaver Creek. If you look at the "now" photo you can still see the foundation of the bridge by the white fenced in deck and on the opposing side the picnic pavilion. Just outside the 1907 picture on the right there was a dance hall and boathouse. It was quite the destination and one of the many stops on the LSE Railway.

Advertisement for the opening of "Oak Point" Resort (Courtesy Dan Brady)

The next stop on my ride was built in 1922 and is probably one of the most recognizable buildings in Lorain, the Hotel Antlers.

Hotel Antlers 2014

Hotel Antlers 1948 (Courtesy Dan Brady)

The hotel is circled in red. Not sure what year this was taken. (Willis Leiter)

In it's "hay day" this building was host to balls and formal events. It also had around 100 rooms. It fell into disrepair in then 60's and then was renovated in the 80's. Now it is used as an apartment building.

Just to the south of this location is possibly one of the oldest buildings left standing in Lorain. It even survived the infamous tornado of 1924. This building is the Carnegie Library in Streator Park right off of 10th Street at Long Avenue.

Carnegie Library 2014

Carnegie Library Early 1900's (Willis Leiter)

The Library was built in 1904 after the city was given the land from the Streator family. It is currently in the process of being renovated for the newly renamed Lorain Historical Society. You can visit their website here.

I then traveled slightly East to get a "now" shot of Broadway.

Broadway 2014

Broadway in the very early 20th Century

Duane Building 2014

Duane Building Early 20th Century (Willis Leiter)

 I do not know much about the "Duane" Building other than it was built in 1906. It has always been home to shops and/or businesses on the main level and housing on the top floors. It is still in use the same way today.

My next stop was a building that was built right after the tornado that destroyed most of town in 1924 and is now in danger of being demolished. This next building is the Broadway Building and it is located at the Southeast corner of Broadway and West Erie.

Broadway Building 2014

Broadway Building Construction in 1925 (Lorain Historical Society)

North Side 2014

The "Laundry" sign is the side of the building I photographed above. I would have been standing at the Gulf Station. This picture was taken shortly after it was built. (Lorain Historical Society)

The Broadway building was finished in 1926 and was used for many businesses, commercial and retail over the years. My mother remembers the bowling alley in the basement. I do not believe anything exists in the building today and the parking lot is roped off.

The last "then" picture above was known as "The Loop". This was where the LSE Street Cars would loop around after dropping people off to head back to either Toledo, Cleveland or South to Elyria. People still call it "The Loop" today even though the LSE has been gone for about 80 years now.

Lorain City Hall/Police Department 2014

Lorain City Hall/Police Department 1960's (Lorain Historical Society)

In 1903 this house on the North side of Boradway/West Erie was purchased by the city and used as City Hall. The police station and watch tower were already on site at the time I believe. These buildings were torn down in 1974 to make way for the much larger building that stands there today.

Next I headed to the Black River.

Charles Berry Bridge Looking East from Broadway 2014

Bridge Control

Middle of the bridge looking South at the Black River and former American Ship Building Company (Now Condominiums)

For some reason old pictures of the bridge are impossible to come by, so I apologize for no "then" shots.

The Lorain Bascule Bridge was opened in 1940 and is currently the world's second largest Bascule Style Bridge (The bridge opens and closes by separating in the center and raising both sides allowing ships to pass under safely). This bridge was built to replace the dating swing bridge that will be discussed in Part 2 of this post about the East side of the river. In 1988 the bridge was rededicated the "Charles Berry Bridge" in honor of a Marine and Lorain native who fought in Iwo Jima and received the Medal of Honor.

This is where the West side of Lorain ends and it is also the halfway point of this two part blog post. Stayed tuned for part two where I will discuss the old shipyards, the lighthouse and other Lorain structures. Thanks for looking and reading!