Pine Towers Motel in Sheffield Lake

1960 Lorain City Directory Listing

While researching the old motels on the western outskirts of Lorain on U.S. 6, I saw in the 1960 City Directory that there had been one in my current town of Sheffield Lake. It was called Pine Towers Motel and was located at 4855 E. Lake Road.

Since that area was outside of Lorain, it was not listed in the older books, which tended to stop at the city limits.

The earliest entry for the 4855 E. Lake Road address that I could find was in the 1940 book. Joseph and Florence Padley were the owners.

By the 1942 book, the address was listed as vacant, and it would remain that way for several years.

It wasn't until the 1952 Directory that the motel showed up in the listings. The manager was Harry Storr, who was also employed as a pharmacist at Shoemaker Drugs in Lorain.

Pre-renovation photo of 4855 E. Lake Road 
Courtesy Lorain County Auditor website

By the early 1960s, Margaret Pelton was the name associated with the Pine Towers Motel. By 1962 the address was no longer listed as a motel, and about that time it became a private residence again with a new owner.

Around 1968, the building became the well-remembered St. Thomas Convent. It continued to appear in the directory as the convent into the 1990s.

The building was sold in the mid-1990s. If I remember correctly, the decision to sell the lakefront property was made in order to generate some much needed revenue for the church. (Here is a link to the St. Thomas website, which includes a nice history of the parish that mentions the convent.)

Today, after an extensive renovation, the building that served as both a motel and a convent is now a beautiful private residence (below).

The view this past snowy weekend

Perhaps someone with a knowledge of Sheffield Lake history will kindly come forward with some information about the home's original owners, and leave a comment.