New Names for Some Lorain Streets – Feb. 2, 1960

Not exactly the most creative name given to a frontage road

Although it seems logical that once a city street is given a name, it would retain that name forever – but that hasn’t been the case in Lorain.

For instance, around 1909, the city renamed most of its streets. It was quite a massive undertaking.

This article from May 1908 explained the proposed system in detail. As it noted, “All streets running in a northerly and southerly direction to be called avenues and named; all running in an easterly and westerly direction to be called streets and either numbered or lettered. Broadway to be so-called from the lake to the city limits on the south, doing away with Penfield Avenue."

Sorry, Drew.

For the east side, the plan “would recommend all streets running east and west to be lettered” and “avenues to be named after states.”

For the west side, Broadway would “be the meridian, streets running at right angles to Broadway would be known as east and west.”

There was also an explanation as to when a street would be designated a ‘place’ or ‘court.'

Anyway, the proposed plan went over like the proverbial lead balloon at first. Even the Postmaster was against it. But the plan was adopted in January 1909, and for the most part seems to have been followed to this day.

Fast forward about 50 years. Some street names were about to change, but this time it was a relatively small endeavor.

You see, beginning in the late 1950s, Lorain was going through a major growth spurt, eventually annexing parts of Black River Township (near Leavitt and Meister) and Brownhelm Township (out by the then-new Ford Plant).

In an effort to correct some street name duplications in the newly-annexed areas, 19 streets had their names changed by City Council.

There were other reasons for the renaming as well. The article below from the February 2, 1960 edition of the Journal explains.

Some of the changes: Lake Road from Leavitt to Baumhart Road officially became W. Erie Avenue; Route 611 between Leavitt and West Erie became W. 21st Street; an unnamed piece of road west of the undercut and parallel to Lake Road, created when the highway was widened, became Frontage Street (see photo at top of post and map below); Franke Drive was extended north across West Erie.

Probably the most notable thing in the article was “A street in construction along the line of the Ohio Edison Co. tower line to be known as Tower Blvd.”

Here’s a view of the now towerless Tower Boulevard today. The view is from Leavitt Road looking east.

Now, with the namesake towers gone and soon to be replaced by monopoles, will Tower Boulevard there be renamed “Pole Avenue?”

Nope. There’s already a Pole Avenue in Lorain. Plus, Tower runs east and west – that’s why it’s not an avenue now.