Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A Ghoulardi's Goulash

In case you've been wondering, I've refrained from trying to provide a detailed history of the now-demolished former Ghoulardi's building. That's because of the difficulty in trying to decipher the various addresses connected with the building over the years in the available city directories, which form a sort of goulash of facts.

The Morning Journal has admirably provided some history about the building (here and here) and listed a few businesses that used to call the building home. But, with such a variety of Broadway addresses associated with the building over the years, ranging from the 750s to the 770s, it's a real mess that I'm not sure anyone can figure out conclusively.

For example, it appears that in the 1933 city directory, there are three different Broadway addresses associated with the building: 760, 762 and 768-70. The Greenwald meat market (referred to in the Journal article) was at 760, 762 was vacant and 768-70 was R & B Auto Parts.

But by 1945, it appears that the only two addresses connected with the building were 766 and 770, with 766 being Rusines Mens Wear and 770 being Michael Rusines' drug store.

I looked through a few more city directories and found that The Huddle lounge (which had the 766 Broadway address along with Rieger & Company) was there a lot longer than I thought. One of the earliest listings of the popular bar was in the 1965 directory.

I was never in The Huddle, so if any of you have any memories of it (hey Alan!) be sure to post them. I was in Ghouldardi's a few times, however.

But the building – like so many others in Downtown Lorain that were home to well-remembered businesses – is gone now, so its colorful history really doesn't matter anymore. It's yet another vacant lot full of memories of Lorain past.


5 comments:

-Alan D Hopewell said...

"Its colorful history really doesn't matter anymore"? Heaven FORFEND, laddie!

The Huddle was one of those early 60's style lounges you see on detective programs, dark, lots of indirect lighting, padded bar, smoky/whiskey/perfumey scent in the air, music constantly playing.
My brother Mike and I shined shoes there as kids, and I was an occasional customer when I got older.

I never got to see Ghoulardi's....darnit.

Paula said...

This is as sad as it gets - such a great building reduced to nothing. I'd been to Ghoulardi's several times and it was a great place to go. Glad I got a photo of the side window featuring Ghoulardi before they tore it down...

Dan Brady said...

Hi Paula--thanks for reminding me--I did too--more than a year ago!

Ken said...

The Huddle was one of those places where you could sit at the bar, have a few beers, and then say to the bartender, "Let me see the menu," and get a burger and fries at the bar, or better. Although the bartender used to get grumpy about having to cook. It really was a "bar and grill".

RPotter said...

The Huddle was a big part of the old Broadway bar scene. Sally was the barmaid/cook/owner.
She bought it from the Huddle brothers. Many a wayward lad landed there on a regular basis.
From "71" to "76" it was busy on the weekends. Christmas eve of "76" it was business as
usual with Sally serving up a good helping of humorous anecdotes. That is the last time I
stopped in. She had her regulars names on coffee cups hanging on the wall. A lot of Lorain
baby boomer history in that bar...