Vian’s Part 5

Ad from the January 18, 1950 Lorain Journal

By the early 1950s, Vian’s had been open for more than ten years. Ads for the restaurant were appearing regularly in the Lorain Journal.

Ad from the August 5, 1950 Lorain Journal

Ad from the Jan. 15, 1953 Lorain Journal

By 1954, Nicholas Vian had decided to expand his business with the addition of a motel to his property. The small article below – in which he finally was issued a permit by Sheffield Lake officials for his proposed 13 unit motel – appeared in the Lorain Journal on May 28, 1954.

Article from the May 28, 1954 Lorain Journal

It would be a few more years before the motel opened.

Meanwhile the restaurant was still being promoted regularly in newspaper ads, such as this ad (below) which ran a few days before Thanksgiving 1955.

Just a month later in 1955, a fire in the restaurant caused by a deep fryer did $1200 damage. The photo and caption below appeared in the Lorain Journal on December 27, 1955.

Next: The Motel