Lorain City Hall That Might Have Been – April 8, 1964

Lorain City Hall has been a recurring topic on this blog. Why? Because I'm old enough to remember the old Lorain City Hall, located in an aging, run-down mansion (with the Civil Defense Tower behind it). Its eventual demolition and replacement by the current one has been explored in many blog posts.

We've even debated the attractiveness of the present City Hall. Some commenters like it. I'm not a fan; I think it looks horribly dated and is a poor symbol of a city that is trying to reinvent itself and make a comeback. 

(Maybe I don't like it because the only time I ever go in there is to pay a speeding ticket or go to court.)

Anyway, I was very surprised to see the article and photo below, which appeared in the April 8, 1964 edition of the Journal. The proposed design of the new City Hall is very different from what was eventually built.

This design was estimated to cost less than a million in 1964. According to the article, "The proposed new building would have six floors and a basement. It would be 80 x 80 foot in size, and contain 45,000 square feet of office space.

"The top floor would house a new jail and some the mechanical equipment. Prisoners would be able to have outdoor exercise on the rooftop under the supervision of guards.

"Reflecting pools would flank either side of the front entrances."

Fast forward to July 1971, seven years later. A new City Hall design is unveiled (see below). This one is originally estimated at $8.7 million, but with elimination of some elements, such as underground parking, the hope is that it would only cost about $5 million. (Yikes! That's $38 million in today's inflated greenbacks!)

From July 22, 1971 Journal 

I have no idea what the final cost was, but I kind of wish they had built the 1964 version. Strangely enough, in this era where every new restaurant has a boxy design, the 1964 version of City Hall would look less dated.

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The location for the new Lorain City Hall was also the subject of a debate by city officials in April 1964. An argument was made for building the new City Hall in a central location, specifically at W. 20th and Elyria Avenue, to better serve the citizens of Lorain. There was also an expectation that with harbor improvements, the port would be so busy that the Bascule Bridge would need to be replaced with a high level bridge; as the result, the new City Hall would end up under it at its west end.