I saw this postcard on Ebay and didn't immediately recognize the homes, although I get stopped at the traffic light at this intersection several times a week. (The 1924 tornado-battered homes in the photo face south towards Victory Park, across West Erie Avenue.)
When I drove over there to snap the 'today' shot (below), I was surprised to see that almost all of the homes in the vintage postcard seem to still be there, with the exception of the sad home on the left. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite capture the exact same angle of the postcard.
I briefly considered asking the person whose driveway I was standing in if I could please shoot from one of their upstairs windows – but I figured there are enough people out there already who probably think I'm a nut.
The postcard is kind of interesting in that the photographer is A. B. Reinhart. Usually when you see a Lorain Tornado photo, it seems to be one from well-known local photographer Rudy Moc, who produced a souvenir book of the disaster. The Lorain Public Library has several copies of it in its local history section.
My house is on the next block over on N. Lakeview and W. Erie, built after the Lorain tornado. It would be interesting to see a photo of that area immediately after the tornado, like the one you found.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, great website!