May 1969 – International Community Center for Lorain?

Here’s another one of those “What Might Have Been” scenarios for the City of Lorain: a proposed International Community Center at Lakeview Park.

The front page of the Journal from May 18, 1969 (above) tells the story.

At that time, the International Festival was only two years old, having been launched in the summer of 1967 (which I wrote about here).

The two-story building was to be the headquarters of the Lorain International Association. It was to include a small convention hall that could serve as the setting for the Festival and bazaar; a museum honoring Lorain’s ‘famous sons’ such as Admiral Ernest J. King; and an art gallery featuring works by Lorain native Stevan Dohanos. The Community Center would also provide a forum for Lorain citizens and the various civic, business and fraternal organizations to which they belonged.

The International Community Center was going to be located in the southern portion of Lakeview Park (on the south side of West Erie Avenue) next to the tennis courts.

Tax money would not be used to build the Center. Financing was to come from a major fund drive, getting Lorain citizens to pledge so much over a three year period.

Anyway, the Center was an intriguing idea at at time when the city was still fairly prosperous. Perhaps the idea may yet be revived someday, using an existing Downtown building rather than new construction.