The Journal Moves to its New Plant – May 1955

The dark clouds this past Friday night cast an appropriate gloom
over the Morning Journal’s empty offices

It’s sad driving by the Morning Journal’s empty offices and plant down at the Devil’s Elbow and seeing the large AVAILABLE signs on the building. It really drives home the reality that the paper hasn’t been printed in Lorain for a long time.

Here’s the link to the paper’s April reporting of the building being officially available for sale or lease.

But back in May 1955, it was a different story; the future was bright for the Journal and newspapers in general. The paper was in the process of moving from its longtime home (since 1920) on Seventh Street to its brand new plant.

Here’s part of the front page of the last edition printed at the old plant – Saturday, May 7, 1955.

And here’s the front page of the first edition printed on the new presses the following Monday.

I’ve mentioned before how my grandfather worked at the Journal’s Seventh Street plant for years as a linotype operator and repairman. Grandpa had a nice short walk from his house on Sixth Street. He had already moved on to another job by the time the Journal made the move to its Broadway plant in 1955.