Lorain Then (1986) and Now

Earlier this year, a local gentleman posted a series of photos on Ebay of Lorain, all from the mid-1980's. Apparently the photographer drove around Lorain and captured images of various street scenes and intersections during a time in which Lorain was experiencing a lot of change. It was a great idea – wish I'd thought of it!

Most of the photos were from the summer of 1986, including the one shown above (which I purchased). It's the view looking east at the intersection of East Erie (U.S. Route 6) and Colorado Avenue. Note the Lannie's sign on the right and the old Lawsons store in the distance.

Fast forward to now.

The Sunoco station is now Pecora's Wheels N Deals. Lawsons is now Dairy Mart. Lannie's is long gone due to the development of the eastside around the old shipyards.

Also, a turning lane has been added to East Erie sacrificing some of Lannie's frontage – making it impossible for me to precisely capture the same exact view of the vintage shot without getting run over.