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| Tourist Homes used signs like this to announce that they welcomed tourists (Courtesy onekingslane.com) |
One option in those days was to stay in a tourist home and rent a room for the night. Tourist homes were sort of like a hotel, usually just a large, old house with rooms for tourists to rent for the night or longer. They were very similar to boarding houses in that they were mom-and-pop operations with residents coming and going.
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| Another vintage sign advertising tourist rooms (Courtesy onekingslane.com) |
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| 1933 City Directory Listing |
Anyway, I was pretty interested in driving over and seeing this house that hosted weary travelers in the early 1930s. Unfortunately, it was located right next door to K-Kream Korner – and was demolished in the last year or so, as that popular ice cream establishment has needed more space on that corner.
Fortunately, the Lorain County Auditor website had a few photos of it (below) before it was torn down. It was indeed a big rambling house, and looks like it had a lot of character in its day. I can imagine guests relaxing on the front porch and enjoying the cooling breezes from Lake Erie.
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| 1219 West Erie is gone, but the garage remains (photographed last weekend) |
3 comments:
Thanks for a great read, Dan! It’s nice to know that there are cheaper alternatives to hotels through those tourist homes. I’m just disappointed about the destruction of the house. Hmm. Do you know other tourist houses like that? Hope you can take some photos of them and post it on your blog. :)
Susan @ BallaratApartments-Newington.com.au
Another home on West Erie Ave. had a sign advertising "Tourist Rooms". I used to drive by it each day on my way to work in the late 1960s, and even then I considered it a vestige from an earlier time. The sign was located in the yard of a large home on the corner of west Erie Ave. and South Lakeview Blvd., across from the entrance to Lake View Park. I drove by the area this afternoon, and noted the address as 1524 S. Lakeview Blvd. I believe the sign was there into the 1970s, although I don't know if they still offered tourist rooms.
The house was always a nice home, but the exterior has been renovated in the last few years, and it is quite an impressive home. The site of the home across from the entrance to the park would also have been a plus. As the realtor's say -- location, location, location!
I checked out 1524 S. Lakeview on the Auditor site; it is a beautiful home and easy to imagine as a tourist home.
I'd sure like to see that Tourist Rooms sign! Wonder if it ended up in a local antique shop?
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