Thursday, February 27, 2014

6th and Broadway – Then & Now

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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.

6 comments:

  1. Some real memories of that corner - I worked at the Elks' Lodge a little further back down 6th, and across Broadway at Hart's Jewelers. And if there was a neater place to look around than Cane's Surplus, I don't know where it would have been...:D

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  2. I agree....Cane's, the Ohio Theater, Sutter's (great chocolate phosphates!)

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  3. and the architect was apparently our old friend Wurmser ;)

    http://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/the-rant-pride-in-lorain-how-about-her-historical-worth/

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  4. Thanks for the mention Dan. As always I love reading your blog. However, there is only one "T" in Paterson.

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  5. Sorry, James! I knew that my bad typing would get me in trouble! Just fixed it!

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  6. I do love this building. My great grand uncle, Fred W. Pierce, constructed it in 1900. The 1st floor was used as a store, the 2nd was offices and the 3rd floor was a lodge room.

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