Luxury High Rise Apts. for Lorain’s West Side – March 1964

When I saw this photo on the front page of the March 25, 1964 Lorain Journal, I thought it was an architectural rendering of the Lakeside 10 Apartments that were built in Sheffield Lake in the late 1960s (known today as The Perch on Lake). 

But as it turned out, the rendering was a high-rise luxury apartment project slated for the West Side of Lorain. Read all about in the article by Ralph Neumeyer below.

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$2 Million Luxury Apartment Planned
By RALPH NEUMEYER

An eight-story high-rise luxury apartment is in prospect on Lorain’s West Side.

Plans were announced today for a new $2 million apartment development in the fast growing area near the Lorain Community Hospital.

The multi-story, 222-foot by 72-foot unit will be located west of the hospital and overlooking Beavercrest Dr. and Oak Hills Country Club.

The five-acre site fronts on Beavercrest Dr. and W. Lake Rd., Rts. 2 and 6.

Application for a building permit has been filed by Bozsoki Bros., Lorain builders.

The architect is Keith Haag and Associates of Cuyahoga Falls, specialists in high rise construction.

The Haag company has designed similar apartments in Akron, Philadelphia and other cities.

Construction is expected to get under way by late summer with occupancy scheduled for May, 1965.

The project contemplates 100 luxury suites of one, two or three bedrooms and balconies overlooking Beaver Creek and the Oak Hills golf course to the west and Lake Erie to the north.

The apartments will feature underground heated garages, high speed elevators, and sound proof walls. The building will be of poured concrete construction with a brick exterior.

A large heated swimming pool, cabana and party room will be incorporated and extensive landscaping and grounds for tenant enjoyment.

The apartments will be known as “Crest Towers,” with a rental range of $115 to $275 per month.

The project is being financed by private investors, it was indicated.

Muriel Watt Mead Real Estate Co. will be leasing and managing agents.

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Today, there are plenty of apartment buildings out there by Mercy hospital, but Crest Towers isn’t one of them. I’m not sure why.

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UPDATE (March 28, 2018)
As usual, regular blog contributor and researcher extraordinaire Rick Kurish has come through, this time with the answer as to why the high-rise apartments were never built.

Rick wrote, "As with many of the grandiose projects proposed for Lorain, the financing for Crest Towers apparently fell through. I found the attached article from the Chronicle-Telegram of June 7, 1968 which details the story."

The short article had the headline of "Lorain high rise just can't get off the ground." It noted that the plans had fallen through, according to a stockholder.

"Building for the 10-story high rise apartment was to have begun two years ago," stated the article.

The stockholder mentioned in the article said, "The company, Crest Towers Inc., could not receive financial support for the project after the Lorain Planning Commission granted a zoning variance."

The article noted, "The structure, planned for a site on Beavercrest Drive, was to contain 104 apartment units plus an indoor heated swimming pool."

Foreclosure proceedings on the land eventually took place.