House Demolition – May 2, 1968

The well-remembered
caricature of Bob Beck,
used in his ads

Although the demolition of old buildings and homes in Lorain today is often done quietly and without fanfare (perhaps to minimize controversy), this type of thing used to be news – and worthy of a photo.

That’s the case here, with the demolition of a home at the intersection of E. 21st Street and Elyria Avenue. The photo and accompanying caption appeared on the front page of the Lorain Journal back on May 2, 1968.

According to the caption, the house and another one in the same block were being removed for Bob Beck of Bob Beck Chevrolet, which was located nearby at 2147 Broadway.

Perhaps the houses were removed to create additional storage space for the dealership. But whatever the purpose, it doesn’t appear that the plans came to fruition.

Today that corner looks like much of Lorain does: an empty, grassy lot.