AKHS Art Class Sketchbook 1974

Keeping with this week's drawing theme...

   I took Art classes all four years at Admiral King High School with Mr. Frank Hicks as the instructor, and one of his regular assignments for us was to keep a sketchbook. He would give us a list of Lorain landmarks and locations that we could draw, or we were free to choose some of our own.

   Initially, I tried to sit and sketch on-site (like a real artist). Quickly I learned it was better (and less dangerous) to go out and snap a quick photo and work from that at home.

    Looking at some of the sketches today reveals Lorain circa 1974. The original 1904 Carnegie Public Library building on 10th Street (that had been replaced by the new Lorain Public Library in 1957) was then being used as the headquarters for the Lorain Civil Defense.

   The Broadway railroad crossing is probably the most interesting. The sketch (looking east) shows the old crossing gate tower as well as the long-gone Lorain train station. Looking at the Frank Nardini railroad underpass today, it's hard to believe that the scene actually looked like this at one time.

   The other sketches show the railroad bridge over the Black River, as well as the infamous house off of Oberlin Avenue that was the home of a local rock band for a little while.