6th and Broadway – Then & Now

Add caption

I haven't done any 'Then and Nows' lately – probably because I've used up all of the most obvious (and easily obtainable) ones! (Either that or everything else that I have an old photo or postcard of has been torn down – so there's no "Now" to shoot!)

So that means that I have to start scraping the bottom of the barrel and really dig to find some to do – which leads me to this one. It's a photo of the Lorain Banking Company from an ad that ran in The Lorain Journal back on Saturday, July 18, 1959.

Accompanying the photo was this copy providing the history of the Lorain Banking Company:

1905

54 years ago a former lake captain founded the Lorain Banking Company. He was Richard Thew, also vice-president and general manager of the Thew Shovel Company. It was natural that Mr. Thew should draw on his marine experience in selecting a trade-mark for the new bank, a ship's wheel and a lighthouse. The part that the bank will play in The Lorain of the Future is told best by the success of the many pioneer industries aided by it. The young Lorain Banking Company gave generous aid to individuals as well. Richard Thew was president of the Lorain Banking Company from 1905 to 1923, and the Thew Shovel Company grew during this time to be one of the leading companies in the United States.

The Lorain Banking Company merged with National Bank of Lorain to form Lorain National Bank in 1961.

And here's the uncropped "now" shot (actually from last year – before the snow hit).

The building looks to be in great shape (although I am not crazy about the sign obscuring the original inscription). It houses several attorneys and law firms, including Anthony Baker, Javier H. Armengau, J. Anthony Rich, Zachary B. Simonoff, Paul A. Griffin Co., L.P.A., John P. Kilroy, James J. Paterson, Susan Cruzado Burge and Bevan & Associates L.P.A., Inc.