Also on that list was Central Bakery, which suffered a devastating fire on this day back in 1963. Above you see the front page of the Journal of December 11, 1963. And here's a photo (below) of the fire that ran in the paper in its end-of-the-year edition.
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| From the Dec. 31, 1963 edition of the Journal |
The bakery, which specialized in several varieties of bread, dates back to 1915, as noted in this full-page ad that ran in an anniversary edition of the Lorain Journal on June 21, 1955.
As noted, "The founder, Edward Kowalski, established the bakery in its present location in days when virtually all work was done by hand and a lone oven was used for baking.
"Kowalski, a native of Poland, owned a horse and wagon, had a stack of unpaid bills, $50 in cash and loads of confidence in the future of the city when he began working 16 and 18 hours a day in developing his business.
"Central Bakery in 1915 occupied a building with less than 1,500 square feet of space.
"Today, the bakery assets amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The machinery, ovens and production methods are ultra modern. There are 25 trucks for speedy deliveries."
Here are some vintage ads for the firm, all from 1935.
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| June 26, 1935 |
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| July 8, 1935 |
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| Aug. 28, 1935 |
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| Sept. 26, 1935 |
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| Nov. 29, 1935 |
Anyway, after Central Bakery burned, there was talk of the bakery continuing. There was even talk in Feb. 1964 of moving operations to the old Spang Bakery building at 22nd and Oakdale – but it never happened.
Eventually the burned-out, rat-filled, gutted frame of the Central Bakery building became a dangerous eyesore, and it was finally torn down several years later. But it took a lot longer than anyone could have ever imagined – dragging into the 1970s.
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| Jan. 31, 1972 |
5 comments:
Did this turn out to be a case of arson?As the bakery was only leased out for about 6 months by a new proprietor and then very conveniently it caught on fire and burned.Was the guy in over his head and then realized he could get out by burning it and cashing in?Was there any suspicion by the LFD over the fire during the ensuing investigation?
From what I read, the building was kind of burned out initially but more of a husk - it looked okay from the outside but was a mess inside. I don't recall reading how it happened. The new owner had ambitious plans for it but never was able to make it happen so the building sat there for years, getting worse and generating complaints before finally getting demolished.
Not to take anything away from your amazingly comprehensive post, Dan, but I was struck by the short item next to the 1955 article. It amounted to an interview with a bulldog about a 1919 prizefight in Toledo. The Journal must have been running low on such fillers.
I don't remember Central Bakery. Deluca's was our choice for holiday rolls and sweets. I was always happy when dad swung by the bakery after church.
There was several clip art layouts that the Journal ha to choose from for various products and events ie grand openings, anniversary sales etc. before I started there was a grocery store that had a grand opening and across the banner at the top of the ad read “store name here “
Owner wasn’t happy
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