Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Beachcomber Motor Lodge Opens – Dec. 1959

Sixty years ago this month, the Beachcomber Motor Lodge opened for business on West Erie Avenue, right behind the Howard Johnson's restaurant.

Above is the full-page ad making the announcement. It appeared in the Lorain Journal on December 4, 1959.

According to the article below, which appeared on the front page of the same edition of the paper, Arthur Goldstein of Lorain and Ben Friedkin of Youngstown were the men who made it happen and made their longtime dream real.

The motor lodge represented the latest in modern design and conveniences and was impressive considering that it was not part of a national chain. As the Journal article noted, “The new Beachcomber Motor Lodge offers almost every comfort, including central air-conditioning for the most humid weather and individually-controlled thermostats for cold weather.

“From the ultra-modern gatehouse and its combination lobby and meeting room to the 51 units themselves, the decor has been carefully planned.

“Each room is color-coordinated, featuring wall-to-wall carpeting, walnut paneling, two double beds, telephone service with a central switch board, free television, and dressing table and vanity area.

“Privacy is guaranteed throughout from the vinyl-tiled entranceway and ceramic-tiled bath to the individual porches with their iron railings.

“Facing the lake, each room has an all-glass window wall looking down upon a 25-by-50 foot heated swimming pool, complete with surrounding deck chair sunning area.”

****
The Beachcomber changed hands in 1969 (which I wrote about here), with George Steinbrenner and Lorain Insurance agent William Rieth purchasing the building from Arthur Goldstein, who at that time was the retired owner of the Style Center.

In 2014, I gave the former Beachcomber (then known as Erieview Motel) the then-and-now photo treatment. Click here to see the motel as it looked then, as well as some vintage ads. 
And lastly, I covered the 2017 demolition of the former Beachcomber here.

1 comment:

  1. Classic roadside Americana at its finest.Classic late 50's American styling.I remember my mother always saying that Zsa Zsa Gabor stayed there one time.Maybe you could look and search for it Dan?Surely that would have made the newspapers back then...I also bet that some of the early rock-and-roll stars that played at the Lorain Arena just down the road possibly stayed there at one time or another.Back when Lorain was a destination city.....A thriving city....You had the Ford Plant.The steelmill.Thew Shovel.Mascon Toy Co.Various machine shops all over the city......Now all of the above are closed and or torn down.And so is the Beachcomber Motor Lodge.Now all Lorain has is dollar stores and a Wal-Mart as a destination place for people to go to.Very sad.

    ReplyDelete