John’s Motel & Cabins – Part 3

Wouldn't you know it? Just when I thought I was done with my look at John's Motel & Cabins, I received the above postcard in my email from historian and archivist Dennis Lamont late in the afternoon on Monday!

The caption reads:
SUNNYSIDE INN
TOURIST CABINS
3 MI. EAST VERMILION, OHIO
RTE. 2 AND U. S. 6

The postcard shows the brick house that many remember as the Kovanic home, as well as tourist cabins – the same ones seen in the John's Motel & Cabins postcard (below). Unmistakably the same view, trees, telephone poles, etc. What a great find, Dennis!

It all makes sense. That 1954 Lorain County Farm & Rural Directory listing included a mention of the Sunnyside Inn being run by John Kovanic (below) with the motel between his house and the Inn. (The numerical listings increase as they move east from the Erie County line.)

I’m guessing that the building on the left hand side of the postcard is the Inn.

After looking at a 1969 Historic Aerial, I’m inclined to believe that there were two rows of cabins: a row parallel to Lake Road (shown on both vintage postcards) and a second row that formed an “L” where it met the first row of cabins. You can see the edge of that second row in the cabin photo.

Of course, the cabins facing Lake Road are long gone, but that second row (in my opinion) are most likely the ones seen in Part 2 of this blog series.