New Owners for Elberta Inn – Sept. 1971

The view on Feb. 27, 2011

It’s hard to believe that it was ten and a half years ago that Elberta Inn (at that time known as Alizé at Elberta Inn) burned down. It was back on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 when the Vermilion landmark was destroyed by a fire.

The owners had hoped to rebuild, but unfortunately it didn’t happen. Today the former location of the iconic restaurant is still a parking lot.

Fifty years ago this month, the well-known restaurant had just changed hands. Below is the article by Staff Writer Bob Cotleur that appeared in the Journal on September 5, 1971. Bill and Ann Manson were the new owners. 

As the article noted, the couple had owned and operated the Rancho Pillow Motel in Sandusky in the late 1950s. Eventually they sold the motel, and moved to Florida where they owned and operated two eight-suite apartments.  But they decided to come out of semi-retirement and move back to Ohio.

“Back in Ohio he hunted for a business,” according to the article. “This time motels didn’t interest him. But Elberta Inn did.

“"It was a small town and had been in business since 1921,” he explained.

“Mrs. Lucy Hess, one of the founders who is still alive, recently called Manson on the phone and later sent him some snapshots of that era.

“"In those days,” Manson says, “A roller skating rink was alongside. People skated in, sat down and ordered.

The article points out that “Eli,” the former head chef at the Saddle Inn in Avon Lake was now running the kitchen for Elberta Inn.

1971 Lorain Phone book advertisement

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Elberta Inn had been a favorite topic on this blog. 

This 2014 post includes a great vintage aerial photo of the Inn, courtesy of the Lorain Historical Society. I wrote about the Feb. 2011 fire back here on this post, noting that I had almost planned to dine there the night it burned down, since it was my birthday.

This post is devoted to Duke Ellington’s appearance at the Inn in May 1935, and this post includes a few vintage ads.

Lastly, this post highlights Elberta Inn in one of those "Golden Crescent Guide to Dining” features that appeared regularly in the Journal.