Eagles Building Then & Now

I've admired the Eagles Building ever since I picked up this vintage postcard (postmarked 1926) at a local flea market back in the 1990s.

May 1946 Lorain Journal ad

The Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie No. 343 was the primary tenant of the building originally. It was designed by a local architect and constructed in 1918 as a one-story structure, with three stories added in 1924.

The building, one of the tallest in Downtown Lorain, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is in the Second Renaissance Revival style. It contains a beautiful ballroom, complete with a stage and dressing rooms. The building is recognized for being the first commercial structure in the Lorain area to utilize a reinforced concrete frame. This structural decision was due to the shortage of domestic steel shortly after World War I.

J.C. Penney was one of the earliest commercial tenants of the Eagles Building, showing up in the city directories around 1926 and lasting into the early 1930s. The Deutschof showed up as a new tenant in the 1930s, joined by Hart Jewelry in the early 1940s in the other storefront space.

A 1977 view

A 1942 city directory listing showed a variety of organizations were also based in the building. In addition to the Eagles Lorain Aerie No. 343, the groups included the Steel City Chapter (Order of DeMolay), the Typographical Union Local No. 409, the Woodland Lodge No. 223 (Knights of Pythias), the Licensed Tugmen's Protective Association No. 29, the Shipyard Union No. 358 and the Rainbow Girls.

Cane's Surplus, a traditional Army & Navy goods store featuring military goods and camping equipment moved in around 1960.

Sadly, the Eagles club closed in 1984, and Harts was gone by 1987. The Lorain County Central Office of Alcoholic's Anonymous then took over the jewelry store space for many years. Cane's lasted until the owner retired due to poor health in 1999. Eagles Nest Nite Club moved into one of the upstairs floors about this time, maintaining a link to the building's heritage.

Currently a night club called Boat House II is in the old Cane's space.

And here's my "now" shot from this past weekend. The Eagles Building is still an impressive structure.