O'Neils - Sheffield Center

Photo courtesy of the Lorain County Historical Society

On Friday I spent a little time poking around the research library of the Lorain County Historical Society in Elyria and came up with this great vintage photo (above) of the O'Neil - Sheffield Center. It was part of the collection of photos donated by the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram.

The O'Neil - Sheffield Center opened with great fanfare on Saturday, May 1, 1954. It was the first modern shopping center in Lorain County. According to an article in the Lorain Journal at the time, it was "heralded as one of the largest retail centers ever built in Ohio." The shopping center had 49 single-story units, covered by a canopy and surrounding a grassy courtyard.

At that time, O'Neil's of Akron was one of the leading department stores in one of American's fastest growing markets. By expanding into Lorain County at a location midway between Lorain and Elyria, O'Neil's hoped to tap into a potential trading area with a population of 200,000.

At the time of the ribbon-cutting, the shopping center included such local and national merchants such as Red Robin, New-Mode Hosiery, Thom McAn, Van's Apparel, Cotton Shop, Rosen Bakery, Modern Hardware, Probst Dairy, Crawford's Barber Shop and City Loan and Savings. Other stores opening shortly thereafter included Kresge's, Gray Drug, Chisolm's Boot Shop, Nobil Shoes, Mary Ann, Sally Don and Fisher Brothers Dry Goods.

The shopping center was a big hit as local shoppers embraced the convenience of one-stop shopping. Special holiday events such as appearances by Santa Claus as well as the Talking Christmas Tree became a part of many families' holiday rituals.

Of course, as the O'Neil - Sheffield Center prospered, Downtown Lorain's shopping district suffered. By the 1960s, the heyday of shopping in Downtown Lorain was winding down.

Vintage postcard

The O'Neil - Sheffield Center experienced a threat of its own when Midway Mall in Elyria opened in 1966. Suddenly it was possible to shop for hours without ever having to go outside. And like Downtown Lorain, the O'Neil - Sheffield Center suddenly seemed very old-fashioned.

Despite much talk, the plan to enclose the shopping center never materialized.

The shopping center struggled on through the 1970s. One of the few bright spots during this time period was the Lorain International Festival, which was held annually in the rear parking lot.

By the 1980s, all of the large stores were gone except for May Company (which had replaced O'Neil's in April 1967.) Both supermarkets had moved out and only 22 units were occupied.

In May of 1984 – exactly 30 years after its opening – the shopping center was sold. At the time of its sale, tenants included Olan Mills Studio, WZLE Radio, the Golden Ox restaurant, Januzzi's Select-a-Shoe and J.D. Andrews Men's Clothing.

The new owners hoped to revitalize the shopping center by making it smaller and thus more accessible and convenient for shoppers. A portion of the west wing of stores was demolished and the courtyard was removed. The entire complex was renamed the Centre of Sheffield.

New stores were added, including Finast (1987), Marc's (1990) and Goodyear Tire (1994). Unfortunately the shopping center lost its anchor store when May Company closed.

Today, it is almost impossible to look at the Centre of Sheffield and recognize its 1950s layout and appreciate its role as the first modern shopping center in the area. Nevertheless, many Lorainites will continue to have fond memories of the shopping center as the longtime home of the International Festival, as well as the Talking Christmas Tree.

The Centre of Sheffield today

Christmas at O'Neil Sheffield Center – 1955

Here's a photo of one of the entrances to the O'Neil - Sheffield Center all decked out for Christmas 1955. (Sorry the photo is of such poor quality, but it was from newspaper microfilm – and it looked even more miserable before I cleaned it up.) I believe the entrance shown was at the western end of the shopping center off Route 254 at Lake Avenue, because you can see the silhouette of the O'Neil's store in the center of the photo.

The photo ran in The Lorain Journal on November 24, 1955. The caption read, "AND SANTA, TOO – Santa and his reindeer welcome the children – and their parents – to the shopping center for the Christmas season."

When I saw the familiar shape and typography of the small O'Neil sign in the photo, a flood of memories came back – especially of the larger O'Neil sign in front of the shopping center.

And lo and behold, while digging around the photo files yesterday at the Black River Historical Society – oops, I mean the Lorain Historical Society – I found an aerial view of the shopping center shortly after it opened. And there at the bottom of the photo was the large O'Neil sign that fronted on Route 254 (below).

The sign sure left an impression on me, because in my mind that shopping center – long since renamed and redeveloped – is still "O'Neil's."

And as a graphic designer, I still like the sign's contrast of an all-capital word centered above a word in a script font. I've probably used that motif subliminally in many designs over the years, due to the imprint the O'Neil sign made in my brain!

O'Neil's Anniversary Sale Ads – October 2 & 3, 1963

It's odd, and a little sad, to drive by the Centre of Sheffield shopping center on North Ridge and remember when it was a truly groundbreaking retail center. I shop at the Marc's there, and ponder that thought every time I see the nearby cluster of surviving buildings that make up what's left of the original property layout.

When the O'Neil - Sheffield Center opened back in May 1954, it consisted of 49 separate shopping units, with the O'Neil's department store as the anchor. It was one of the largest in Ohio at that time. The shopping center was covered by an all-season canopy, and it surrounded a grassy courtyard that hosted concerts and well-remembered holiday events (like the annual Talking Christmas Tree). 

It sure was convenient to have O'Neil's so close when I was a kid. It was minutes away. a short drive down Oberlin Avenue and what was then Route 254. We did a lot of shopping there over the years, especially at Christmastime.

Of course, the shopping center's popularity and convenience dealt the initial death blow to Downtown Lorain's shopping district. And it would similarly begin its own downward spiral with the opening of Midway Mall in September 1966.

But back in October 1963, the O'Neil - Sheffield Center was still thriving, and celebrating O'Neil's 86th Anniversary. That's the theme of the two ads below, which ran in the Journal on October 2 and 3, 1963, respectively.

But it all changed in April 1967, when May Company replaced O'Neil's at the shopping center (which I wrote about here). It was the end of an era, with a change of name and signage to drive home the point. Later, the May Company would open a brand new store at Midway Mall in its new south wing.

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I've devoted many posts to the O'Neil - Sheffield Center, including this one about an appearance by the 3 Suns and the Four Aces during the Grand Opening celebration.

Back to School With O'Neil-Sheffield Shopping Center – 1954

Vintage postcard

Same view today

Back when everybody subscribed to a newspaper, many stores ran special back-to-school promotions that often took up several pages of the Lorain Journal.

The well-remembered O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center did exactly that in August 1954. The shopping center had only been open since May 1, 1954, so it was a good time to drum up some fresh publicity.

Here are a few pages of a special section that ran in the Journal on August 25, 1954. In those pages we get a great stock of school kids circa 1954; a nice rendering of the building that was home to the O'Neil store; and a nice photo of the distinctive sign by Rt. 254 in front of the center. That sign was such a familiar sight for so long.

The O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center has been a popular topic on this blog since its beginning.

As I've mentioned many times, long after O'Neil's became a May Company store in 1967, I still think of that shopping center in my mind as O'Neil's.

It was such a great location for the Lorain International Festival, drawing visitors from all directions.

I sometimes wonder if this style of shopping center will ever make a comeback. The covered walkway made so much sense; I have a hard time seeing how places like Legacy Village (where you get wet going from store to store when it rains) is an improvement.

April 1967: O'Neil's is Replaced by May Company

Here's an interesting Lorain Journal article from April 1967. The article (by Staff Writer Bob Cotleur) tells of the changeover that occurred when the O'Neil's store at the O'Neil-Sheffield Center became a May Company store. (I'm sorry some of the article is cut off at the end!) I left the other front page articles there, since it is nice to see the article in its context. (Plus, you get a Today's Chuckle. The Journal should bring that feature back – we need a chuckle now more than ever!)

Hearing my mother say that she was "going shopping at O'Neil's" is one of those old, old memories of mine from childhood. The big O'NEIL'S sign at the shopping center really left a big impression on me too. I was kind of surprised to see that the changeover occurred much earlier than I thought.

It was a sad thing when the Sheffield Center May Company store finally closed. Many of the employees had been there for years, and had become part of the shopping experience. Also, we went there much more often than the Midway Mall store, as it was much more convenient for us.

Today the former department store complex is the Macy's Systems and Technology center, and the O'Neil's name haunts the area through the street signs.

Christmas Comes to O'Neil's – 1954

I've done quite a few Christmas posts on O'Neil - Sheffield Center over the years on this blog (including Christmas 1955 and 1960, Santa's arrival in 1959 and 1963, and the Talking Christmas Tree. I guess it's because the shopping center left such a big impression on me as a kid.

Well, here are two more ads for O'Neil - Sheffield Center, both from 1954 – the year it opened. Both ads ran in the Lorain Journal on November 22, 1954.

First up is the ad announcing Santa's arrival in a helicopter – same as he did in later years.

In the same edition of the Lorain Journal was this full-page ad trumpeting the arrival of Christmas at the center for the very first time.

Note that the Talking Christmas Tree had not yet made its appearance in 1954. Instead, a 40-foot live 'community' Christmas tree is promoted.

The full-page ad does a good job of making the case to go out there and check out all the wonderful holiday sights. The center's ideal location between Lorain and Elyria did indeed position it as the community place to shop (much to the detriment of Downtown Lorain) until Midway Mall was built.

I never did feel the same way about Midway Mall as I did about O'Neil's. Maybe it's because the mall was in Elyria and didn't have that connection with Lorain that O'Neil's did. Or possibly because it was such a headache to get to Midway Mall (still is) with having to go up and over Route 57 to get there.

We'll see in a few years whether the planned highway improvements in that area (and the removal of the bridge) result in a revival for Midway Mall.

Meanwhile, the 'reimagined' Centre of Sheffield remains. Even in its new configuration, it still brings back holiday memories for many local Baby Boomers.

O'Neil Shopping Center Opens – 60 Years Ago Today

Here's a full-page of news items from the April 30, 1954 Lorain Journal about the impending opening of the O'Neil-Sheffield Shopping Center the following day – May 1, 1954 – 60 years ago today. (Click on it for a larger view.)

The page of articles is a real snapshot of the hoopla and excitement surrounding the opening.

The various executives behind the planning, construction and management of the new O'Neil's store are profiled. The stores (totaling 50 in all), as well as the various national product brands are listed, promising spectacular choices in shopping. A history of O'Neil's, including its growth from a single store in Akron to becoming a regional giant is provided. Even the benefit plan covering the employees of the O'Neil-Sheffield store is described.

Reading some of the articles today stirs mixed feelings. Back then, with a booming postwar economy and a strong local middle class, Lorain County was a desirable location for a major shopping center.

The shopping center would spell D-O-O-M for Downtown Lorain, which would never recover. And the shopping center itself would eventually get wiped out by Midway Mall.

(The shopping center has been a favorite topic here on the blog, with a variety of posts over the last five years.)

Nevertheless, memories of the shopping center in its heyday will never fade away in the minds of local Baby Boomers.

Bank on Huck and Yogi – O'Neil's Christmas Ad 1960

Back in November 1960, the Emmy-award-winning The Huckleberry Hound Show was in its third season, and the marketing push associated with the popular Hanna-Barbera program was in full swing. 

Above you see that locally, even O'Neil's was in on the cartoon act. The highlight of the Christmas-themed ad for the store were plastic 'Juvenile Bubble Bath' figures in the shape of Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear. As the ad (which ran in the Journal on November 30, 1960) notes, the non-breakable plastic containers "convert to coin bank when super bubbly, bath crystals are gone."

(Yogi would leave his buddy Huck and star in his own TV show a mere two months after the ad appeared).

It's not too surprising that O'Neil's carried the plastic banks/bubble baths, which were manufactured by Knickerbocker. The company had been very aggressive in coming up with different ways to market the Hanna-Barbera characters. The O'Neil buyer may even have seen the trade ad below.

And the Lorain Journal did its bit to drum up interest in the character banks. The item below ran in the paper on September 21, 1960.

The banks were as unbreakable as advertised. Today they are fairly ubiquitous on eBay.

Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear (two of my all-time favorite cartoon characters) have appeared on this blog several times, with three posts devoted to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts.

O'Neil Sheffield Shopping Center 2nd Birthday – May 1956

Seventy years ago, the O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center was celebrating its second birthday, having opened back on May 1, 1954. So it was a good time to have a special birthday promotion, which you see in the full page ads below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on May 3, 1956. 

It's interesting seeing the incredible variety of stores that had an outlet there – even Kroger. 

Hey, it's our pal Toppie

Of course, O'Neil - Sheffield Center hurt Downtown Lorain – slowly at first, since the Downtown merchants put up a good fight with promotions and sales. But I still think those 1950s era shopping centers made the most sense for family shopping, with their close, safe, ample parking and all-season flat canopies to protect shoppers from the elements. 

Mom played both sides of the street right into the early 1970s, shopping in Downtown Lorain for some things, and at O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center for others, as well as at Westgate and Lorain Plaza. Of course, the bigger variety of stores and controlled climate at Midway Mall eventually made it the preferred shopping destination, and the ideal location for various shows and exhibits. 

The funny thing is that young people today missed the heyday of the downtown shopping districts, the open-air shopping centers and the shopping malls. But you can't miss what you never experienced. They'll probably grow up with fond memories of the special events and promotions at Crocker Park and Legacy Village. And shopping on Amazon.

As always, each generation prefers its own way of life.

In Search of a Ford GT-40

Near the end of March, I received an interesting email from a gentleman named Mark Johnson. (Not the WEWS-TV chief meteorologist.)

Although Mark currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he owns a graphic arts company, he grew up in Bay Village in the 1960s.

Mark has an interesting quest. He’s trying to locate a car.

But not just any car. This is a Ford GT-40 that he sat in at the Marshall Ford car dealership on Mayfield Road in Cleveland in early May 1966.

Here’s the photo from that day, showing Mark and his brother sitting in it.

Mark says he was a big Ford fan in 1966 and sitting in the car was a big thrill. “I think I was star struck,” he noted. "Now I need to figure out who owned the car. Whoever it was, was nice enough to let my brother and I sit in it. That is what started the search 50 years later."

Mark believes that the same Ford GT-40 that he sat in at the auto dealership was also on display at a car show held at the O’Neil-Sheffield Center back in early July 1966. Erie Shores Sports Car Club was the sponsor of the show.

Journal ad from July 8, 1966

Here are some of Mark’s photos from that O’Neil-Sheffield Center car show. "I wish the quality was better, but I was just a kid with a Brownie,” he noted.

It’s fun seeing the O’Neil-Sheffield Center as it used to look in the background of these shots. As for the bottom shot, Mark noted, "As I recall, the timed one-at-a-time car races (a parking lot “gymkhana") was held around the back of the shopping center.”

Here's a small photo and caption that ran in the Chronicle-Telegram promoting the show.

(Courtesy Rick Kurish)

Anyway, Mark is trying to trace the owner of the Ford GT-40 and he needs some help. "Now I need to see if I can find any members of the Erie Shores Sports Car Club to see if they know anything about the entrants or have any other photos.

"So the chase continues.”

I asked Mark what message he would like to give my readers, and here is his reply. 

"I’m interested to hear from anyone who remembers, or has photos of, the car shows and races at the O’Neil-Sheffield Shopping Center, especially the show from July 9 and 10, 1966, where a Ford GT-40 was featured. 

"Or from anyone that was a member of the Erie Shores Sports Car Club. Thank you!” 

You can reach Mark Johnson via his email at: MSJandA@comcast.net

3 Suns and 4 Aces at O'Neil Sheffield Shopping Center– November 1954

Like me, you might still be enjoying some tasty Thanksgiving leftovers. So along those lines, I guess I'll start off my month of December blogs with some "leftovers" from November that I didn't quite get posted.

First up this week are some full page ads from November 1954 for O'Neil Sheffield Shopping Center that promote well-known musical guests and local celebrities appearing there on consecutive weekends as part of a Grand Opening celebration.

The musical time period of these ads is interesting. It's not quite the Rock and Roll era yet (but pretty close), so the acts are fairly wholesome and tame.

The first ad (below) ran in the Lorain Journal on November 4, 1954 and highlights the appearance of RCA Victor Recording Stars the Three Suns. Also scheduled to appear were local radio personality Johnny Andrews of WTAM radio, and Cleveland TV personality Uncle Joe Bova of station WNBK.

On the same day the ad appeared, The Journal included an article (with the photo at left) about the Three Suns, which told a little about their history. It stated, "Al and Morty Nevins, and their cousin Artie Dunn, originally formed their unique combination for an engagement in the Circus Room of the Hotel Piccadilly in New York City. Al Nevins, the guitar player with the group was formerly a symphonic musician, and his brother Morty studied piano seriously before taking up the accordion for his work with the group. Artie Dunn plays a Hammond Organ specially made for him, to provide the unusual effects for which the group is famous.

The article noted, "The Three Suns first gained national attention for the radio broadcasts which they made from the Hotel Piccadilly. They made a recording of their famous theme, "Twilight Time" – (one of their own compositions) – for Majestic records, and it became such a hit that it led to their present association with RCA Victor. Since they became Victor recording artists, they have made more albums than any other artists on the label."

Here's a little sample of what the O'Neil Shopping Center crowd might have seen that day, courtesy of youtube.

A week later on November 11, 1954, an ad appeared for other big name group appearing at the shopping center that would close out the Grand Opening festivities. This time it was the Four Aces. Also appearing that day was Capt. Glenn Rowell, host of a children's show on WNBK (one of the predecessors of Channel 3 in Cleveland).

As the Journal noted in an article that ran in the same edition, "The vocal group that has thrilled American with dozens of top recordings – the Four Aces  – appear in person for the grand finale weekend of the great opening celebrations now in progress at the O'Neil Sheffield Shopping Center."

Courtesy theAuctionfloor.com

"The Four Aces, who will appear twice on Friday and twice on Saturday originally started out as an instrumental group, and the story of their success is really a show business Cinderella story. Two of the Aces, Al Alberts and Dave Mahoney, met while in the service. Al was a singer, and before the war had sung with Elliott Lawrence and Jan Savitt.

"His service hitch interrupted his journalistic studies at Temple University. Dave had been studying music at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music, and was a good man on trumpet and sax. When the two men decided to form an instrumental group, they asked Sod Voccaro to join them as a trumpet player, and Lou Silvestri on drums completed the outfit."

The article went on to say that when they recorded the tune, "Sin," they had decided to use an organ background and just sing. The tune was so successful that it put the Four Aces at the top of many popularity polls, and they abandoned the instruments  – becoming a purely vocal group.

Here's the Four Aces performing their big hit, "Sin."

All in all, it was a pretty impressive promotion put on by the shopping center's owners.

O'Neil Sheffield Shopping Center Easter Ad – March 14, 1956

Here's a nice full-page ad that ran in the Chronicle-Telegram on March 14, 1956 – 60 years ago this month – promoting a variety of Easter events at the O'Neil-Sheffield Shopping Center.

First, they had the Easter Bunny arriving by helicopter on March 17 at 1 p.m., met by Mrs. Bunny and their 24 (!) children in "a grand and glorious reunion.” (Where had he been, anyway?) This was followed by the Bunnys' handout of free candy eggs. The grand finale was a Big Easter Egg Hunt on March 24.

Last year on the blog, I featured an ad for the 1955 O'Neil-Sheffield Shopping Center Easter Festival. That year, the bunny also arrived by helicopter – twice.

But by 1957, the beloved rabbit was apparently a victim of cutbacks, and consequently stripped of his whirlybird. In this ad (below), which ran in the Lorain Journal on April 5, 1957, we see that he arrived by housetrailer!

At least the wife and two dozen offspring were still there to greet the well-traveled Easter ambassador. 

O'Neil - Sheffield Center Christmas Ad – Dec. 6, 1962

As I mentioned yesterday, images of Santa Claus in newspaper ads found in the Journal radically changed during the early 1960s. There was a deliberate attempt by advertisers to present something new and different, perhaps reflecting the change in decades.

Here's a really good example. This offbeat Santa was the focal point of an ad for the O'Neil - Sheffield Center.

I actually mistook his round cheeks with the crosshatch design for his eyes – making me think he resembled a (yechhh) common house fly. But his closed eyes are the U-shaped slits on both sides of his tiny nose.

Ironically, the odd layout and distracting illustration of the jolly old elf almost overshadow the mention of the very thing that most of remember fondly at that shopping center: the Talking Christmas Tree.

"Youngsters talk to our glittering 50-ft. Norway Spruce... and it answers back!" reads the ad copy.

Christmas at O'Neil - Sheffield Center has been mentioned on this blog several times, with posts spotlighting  1954; 1955; 1959;  1960; and 1963. 

World's Largest Miniature Circus Comes to O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center – August 1962

Vintage Postcard of Ernie's Circus – "World's Largest Most Fabulous Hand Carved Exhibit"

Back in the days when people used to like to leave their homes to shop, merchants often utilized special promotions to entice people to visit their stores.

Sometimes these promotions could get pretty elaborate, such as the O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center bringing in the Paul Miller's Wild Animal Circus to entertain shoppers back in June of 1962 (which I wrote about here). 

On the other hand, sometimes something tiny was the drawing card – such as Ernie's Miniature Circus, which paid a visit to the O'Neil - Sheffield Shopping Center in late August 1962, just a few months after Paul Miller's Circus.

Below is an article that ran in the Journal on August 29, 1962. 

The miniature circus, a 'midget replica' of the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Show, was the brainchild of Ernest Palmquist. As the article notes, "All of the tumblers, all of the clowns, all the animals... all of the remarkable members of the "Ernie's Circus" troupe are laboriously hand carved of wood. Many of the figures are animated. All are accurately designed to scale.

"Several years ago, "Ernie's Circus" was a big attraction at the Brussels World's Fair. In 1964 and 1965, he will be booked for two years at the New York World's Fair.

"Ernie loves circuses. This is the reason he began whittling circus figures, back in the days when he had his own band, and later when he was a novelty tune writer with Ted Weems Orchestra.

Here's some black and white footage from June 1962 of some workers unpacking "Ernie's Circus" for an engagement in Roanoke.

And here's a poster for sale on the American Decay website.

And here are some photos of some of Ernie's creations, courtesy of the Daily Press.

I wonder where Ernie's Circus is today?