Wednesday, December 30, 2015

1958 New Year's Eve Nightclub Ads

If you were looking for a place in Lorain County where you could celebrate New Year's Eve 1958, these ads – from the December 30, 1958 Lorain Journal – might have helped you make a decision.

Sadly, all three of these businesses (and the buildings in which they were located) no longer exist.

First up is an ad for Supper Club, the subject of a multi-part blog series earlier this year (back here).

You might remember (in this post) that management of the Supper Club had changed hands in December 1958, and that it would soon be doing business as Old Ely Stagecoach Inn. So perhaps the New Year's Eve blowout was sort of a last hurrah for Supper Club (although that name would return in the 1970s).
Next I have an ad for Carey's Villa, which was located a little south of Supper Club at 1906 Lake Avenue between the Ohio Turnpike overpass and State Route 113.
Jack Sikora and his orchestra provided the music for the celebration. There is a little bit of an internet footprint online for Mr. Sikora; it appears that he led an orchestra while a student at Baldwin Wallace, and was performing locally with his group as early as 1944.
As for Carey's Villa (later renamed Libra Capri), be sure to read this Chronicle-Telegram article by Steve Fogarty, which provides a nice history of the business, written when the building burned down in May 2011.
Lastly, here's an attractive ad with great typography for Vian's in Sheffield Lake (which was located about a mile from where I now live).
The ad has an unpretentious, welcoming sound to it – my kind of place. 
Anyway, speaking of Vian's – watch this space in the next week or so as I finally get around to presenting the history of this iconic Sheffield Lake business!
(Hmmm.. that sounds familiar!)

2 comments:

Rick Kurish said...

Carey's Villa was a popular Elyria destination for many years. It originally opened as Carey's Villa in December 1939. Prior to that the Careys operated the location as a private night club named the Paramount Club. The newspaper ads for the club were always addressed to Members Only, and were often rather cryptic --- sometimes just saying things like Special Entertainment tonight. The club apparently featured shows, dancing, and dining. The establishment went public at the time of the name change to Carey's Villa.

Dan Brady said...

Thanks, Rick for the research help!