Elyria Avenue and E. 21st Street – Then & Now

Here's a rare photo (above) that I never thought I'd see. It's a view of the intersection of E. 21st Street and Elyria Avenue that predates the construction of the railroad underpass. The view is looking east.

For many years, I've wondered what that area looked like before the bridge approach and underpass were built during 1939-40.

Here's my now shot (below).

Although some of the buildings seen in the vintage photo are gone, a few remain, such as the house off in the distance as well as the grey building at 2105 Elyria Avenue. 

****

Speaking of that building at the corner of E. 21st and Elyria, I received an email about it from a reader named Amy in Elyria just a few weeks ago. She was curious about its history and humorously observed that it "has always given me the creeps and my children feel the same."

I knew what she meant. Perhaps it's the disembodied doll heads and other things in the windows that seem to be saying, "Help! Get us outta here!" that give the building a sinister, torture-chamber-like appearance.

Even Bugs Bunny seems to be saying,
"Hey, Doc! Call the police!"

Or maybe it's because before it was spruced up and rehabilitated, the building would have been right at home in a Western ghost town. 

A quick look through the city directories at the library reveals that the building has been there since around 1919. It usually had two or three names listed at the address. While most of these names appear to be just longtime residents, I was able to identify a couple of businesses that were run out of the building or its small addition.

The 1921-22 directory entry lists a barber named John Pasko and a soft drink business run by Kasper Ruminski. By the time of the 1931 edition, John Pasko still had his barber shop there and the soft drink business was now run by Jason Miraldi. The Miraldi soft drinks listing continued to appear in the books for a few more years.

An earlier view, courtesy of the
Lorain County Auditor website

In 1939, the Order of International Workers was also listed along with the residents. It wasn't until the late 1940s that the name Thomas Smith and his repair shop became the regular listing for the building right into the 1950s.

The building is apparently still in the Smith family, and currently is the home of Tom's Corner (245-9161), which specializes in collectibles.

The building is for sale too. I'm not sure if the creepy window decorations are part of the purchase.