That Windmill on Kolbe Road

The view from Kolbe Road this past weekend

It was surprising to see the windmill on Kolbe Road listed as a point of interest on that early 1960s Lorain brochure. The brochure referred to it as the "world's largest tower type windmill."

I'm assuming that it's the windmill in question because of where the arrow is pointing on the map.

For many years, whenever I was on Kolbe Road, I'd seen that structure peeking out of the trees and wondered about it. Years ago it was much more run-down, giving it a haunted look. Now it's looking pretty nice.

I couldn't find anything in the city directories to offer a definite history of how long it's been there. According to some online sources, an architect and bricklayer by the name of Joe Ule constructed it in the 1950s using plans that he brought from Europe.

There are a few stories on the internet about the windmill, mainly consisting of the current owner's attempt to restore it and get the permission from Lorain in 2007 to install the blades. 

Lastly, here's some interesting YouTube video from 2007 showing the owner talking about his renovation project.

I'm not sure what the status of the renovation is, but I hope he gets it done.