Monday, July 3, 2017

Planning Lakeview Park – July 1916

In case you might be heading down to Lakeview Park for the holiday, this might be of interest.

Back when Lakeview Park was being developed, there were a lot of decisions to be made about what it was going to look like. The article above, which ran in the Lorain Daily News on July 25, 1916, sheds some light on the planning process.

****
PLAN MANY FEATURES FOR NEW
CITY PARK ON WEST SHORE
Municipal Bathhouse as Proposed by Server Horn 
Would Be of “Double Deck” Type Similar to 
Structure at Edgewater Park, Cleveland.
Drainage work preliminary to the general improvement of the site of what is to be Lakeview park on W. Erie avenue, recently optioned by the city from the heirs of the W. S. Chamberlain estate at a purchase of about $53,000, is soon to be begun, Service Director A. J. Horn announced today.
With the drainage work under way, City Engineer C. M. Osborne is to begin the preparation of an estimate of the cost of carrying out plans prepared by H. M. Horvath, Cleveland landscape architect for the improvement of the park site.
Horvath’s plans include the routes of drives, footpaths, the location of a proposed big municipal bathhouse and of recreational fields.
The lake-front included in the park, according to tentative plans of city officials, would be protected by the construction of four jetties, extending into the lake and providing landing places for small boats.
The municipal bathhouse, as proposed by Director Horn, would be of the “double-deck” type, similar to the structure recently completed in Edgewater park in Cleveland, with the lower floor occupied by dressing rooms, lockers and other bathing facilities and the upper floor given over to an “observation” deck.
Recreation fields, which would include baseball diamonds, tennis courts and possibly a soccer field, would be located in the section of the park lying south of West Erie avenue, according to Horvath’s plans.
Improve Other Parks
While the preparation of plans for the improvement of Lakeview park are in progress, city officials are improving other parks. Service Director A. J. Horn today ordered 76 new park benches to be divided between Oakwood park in the steel plant district and the parks in the central and northern districts of the city.
Service department workmen are engaged in grading work on Riverside park on the lower East Side. Director Horn says this park, the improvement of which had never been completed, will be sown with grass seed next fall.
Horn today was considering plans for the erection of a diving platform in the lake at the city bathing beach on the lakefront at Water Works park.
Bids are to be received in Horn’s office tomorrow for the refreshment concession at Oakwood park for the season. The concession will carry with it the exclusive right to sell refreshments in the park.

2 comments:

Rick Kurish said...

I would dare say that Lakeview Park holds many fond memories for kids who grew up in the area in the 1950s. Although I don't remember the event, I have an early photo of me playing on the beach at the park which my mother had dated "summer 1946". So I received my introduction to the park when I was less than a year old. Within a few years I, like virtually every other kid of that era, had their picture taken in front of the Easter basket. Sometimes on a summer evening if we were in Lorain, we kids would prevail upon my parents to stop at Lakeview Park for a time to watch the fountain change colors. We thought that was really cool! I learned how to ice skate at the park skating rink, where my dad would skate with us -- amazing us by skating around us backwards! Later, as an adult in the 1960s and 1970s, I enjoyed playing in the Lorain City slow pitch softball league, many of the games played on the ball fields at Lakeview Park.

Finally, when the city could no longer properly care for the park because of financial issues, they negotiated a deal with the Metroparks to manage and renovate it. As I walked through the park last week, the place was well maintained and teeming with kids and adults enjoying the facilities. It's good to know that the park, now 100 years old, is still creating fond memories for todays kids,

Dan Brady said...

Well said, Rick! Nice memories too, that I’m sure many readers (including me) share.