The Projects Take Shape – Feb. 1959

Growing up on the West Side, I was certainly aware of “the Projects.” As a kid, I never understood why it was called that. I just knew that it was one of many places in Lorain that it probably wasn’t a good idea to ride my bike through. That’s just the way it was.

I never knew how long the public housing development was there, either, until I saw the photo at right, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on Feb. 10, 1959. The caption reads, “The 150-unit, $1,730,000 Westview Terrace housing project being built on Leavitt Road., between W. 23rd and W. 24th streets, is rapidly taking shape. 

"The Victory Construction Co. of Dayton started work on the project last summer for the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority. The low-rent apartments are expected to be ready for occupancy next summer."

Drive through “the Projects” today, and I think you’ll find that the passing of sixty years has been kind to the area. The buildings were updated with the addition of dormers, new siding and landscaping, and they look quite nice and well-maintained. The trees tower over the development now, and they add to the overall effect of a stately old neighborhood.