City Hall Place

Last week’s post about buildings being demolished to make room for the new Lorain City Hall prompted longtime contributor Todd to wonder whether Lorain Hobby Center had survived the clearing of the land.

Early 1960s Lorain Phone Book ad

It was a good question, and to give Todd a definitive answer, I reviewed old city directories at the Lorain Public Library. In the process, I learned about City Hall Place, a very old Lorain street that today is pretty much a shadow of its former self. 

Although it now serves only as an entrance to the City Hall parking lot, at one time it was a street like any other in Lorain, with houses on both sides of it. 

Of course, for City Hall Place to get its name, Lorain City Hall had to be located nearby. That didn’t happen until the city purchased the old mansion built by William Jones in 1870 (and later purchased and lived in by shipbuilder John Stang until his death) for use as City Hall in 1903. 

But the name ‘City Hall Place’ didn’t show up in the 1905 city directory. 

Perhaps the name had to wait until Lorain's 1908 street renaming plan. It noted that, “Short and blind streets running north and south” were to be named ‘Places.' So it’s possible that City Hall Place didn’t get its name until the new system was in, er, place.

At any rate, by the time of the 1912 directory, the name was in use, with both even and odd numbered addresses. Most of these would remain in the listings right up until the old City Hall was demolished in 1974, since they were located on the portion of the street behind the old Central police station.

The 1919 listings include several of the same resident names, but with comically different spellings.

And by the time of the 1929 edition, there was even a commercial business listed: Lorain Dry Cleaning.

By the 1945 edition, Alf Nickley and his wife Esther were living at 219 City Hall Place (the future address of Lorain Hobby Center). Mr. Nickley was a Lorain city fireman at that point.

The 1960 directory included the first appearance of Lorain Model Center. The listings by name in another section of the directory indicated that it was run by Esther Nickley. Alf Nickely was listed as Chief City Fire Department. Note that at the north end of City Hall Place, an auto parts store was located at 144.

By the time of the 1968 directory, the 144 address was now the home of Duke’s Auto Body Shop, operated by Kenneth R. Futrall.

Here’s a 1969 aerial view, courtesy of HistoricAerials.com.

But as noted before, the old Lorain City Hall and Central Police Station were demolished beginning in late March 1974. At the time that the information for the 1975 city directory was assembled, only Duke’s Auto Body at the north end of the street, and Lorain Hobby Center at the south end, were still active listings.

By the time of the 1978 directory, only Duke’s Auto Body at 144 City Hall Place remained in the listings. And by the 1980 directory, Genie Sales made its appearance at that address.

Genie Sales would eventually become Nolan Garage Doors by the time of the 2000 directory. The lonely little building at the north end of City Hall Place was familiar to anyone who needed their garage door repaired.

But today, the building is gone, and with it, the final semblance of a city street with buildings and residents.

Thus City Hall Place is now just a memory, a road to nowhere.

View of Lorain’s New City Hall Site – Jan. 1971

The year 1971 was a big one for the City of Lorain. 

The long-awaited new city hall was going to finally become a reality. As a result, that meant that many of the Downtown area’s oldest buildings would have to go – taking with them the heritage of that area that gave it a unique personality.

The photo above, which appeared in the Journal on January 7, 1971, provides a nice “before” aerial view of the new city hall location. Demolition was just getting underway, with the comfort station coming down a week earlier, and the Herbert Hotel (whose rubble is shown in the photo) at 280 Broadway as the latest target of the excavator. 

(Click here to read about some of the restaurants that were in the same building as the Herbert Hotel over the years.)

Here’s a pre-demolition, late 60s street-view photo (courtesy of the Lorain Historical Society) of the area that was being cleared.

And here’s a “now” view, courtesy of Google Maps.

It sure would be nice if the present Lorain City Hall eventually has its own appointment with Mr. Buchs – and that all-important corner becomes the home of tax-paying restaurants, lodging and transportation companies again.

Lorain’s Comfort Station Torn Down – Dec. 30, 1970

As the year 1970 was drawing to a close, so was the era of the old Lorain City Hall.

Demolition was just beginning to get underway at the end of December, clearing the properties on the northwest corner of West Erie Avenue and Broadway so that a new City Hall could be built.

And according to the above photo and caption, which appeared in the Journal on December 30, 1970, one of the first buildings to come down was the old comfort station (or rest room, if you prefer).

What, you don’t remember it?

It was the small building just to the east of the old Lorain City Hall in this photo. The Civil Defense Tower was right behind it.

In this photo (below), it’s just to the west of the Dew Drop Inn. I guess someone thought putting a Marine recruiting poster in front of a public rest room was a good idea.

Anyway, back here is my post about where the comfort station was originally supposed to be located: across the street in the park.

Comfort stations must have been a popular concept for cities in the early years of the 20th Century. Vermilion still has its 1912 model on Liberty Avenue near Downtown (below).

The Push for a New Lorain City Hall - Feb. 1969

Fifty years ago in February 1969, Lorain was trying to decide whether to build a new City Hall. And if so – where?

The aging yellow house that served as Lorain City Hall was literally falling apart.

So WUAB-TV Channel 43 – which was based in Lorain back then – took the lead in promoting the need for a new building. It sponsored a special Open House at City Hall in which citizens were invited to tour the structure and voice their opinions before the WUAB-TV cameras and microphones.

Above is the full-page ad announcing the event that ran in the Journal on Feb. 21, 1969, a few days before the Sunday event.

To no one’s surprise, citizens were appalled at the condition of the building. The article below, which ran in the paper on Feb. 24, 1969 pretty much confirmed what everyone knew: the building needed to be replaced.

The old City Hall would finally meet with the wrecking ball in March 1974, which I wrote about here.
You can read about the building’s early history here, and see what it was like in the mid-1950s here.

Lorain City Hall Belles – July 26, 1956

Although it might seem hopelessly sexist today, there was a time when the Lorain Journal could devote a full page to a photo feature highlighting the pretty women that worked at Lorain City Hall. And that time was exactly 62 years ago today, when the full-page of photo portraits by Doug Moore ran on July 26, 1956.

Actually, it’s all in fun – and you get the impression that the women enjoyed being acknowledged for their important contribution in running the city.

The photo captions provide a nice window into operations at City Hall back then, identifying the secretaries to the Service Director, Prosecutor, Safety Director, City Auditor, and Mayor. (Mayor John Jaworski’s secretary is his daughter!)

For me, one of the highlights of the page is seeing Clerk of Courts Frank Katrick surrounded by his staff of deputy clerks. As I mentioned in previous posts, I sat right behind the talented musician and artist in the Biz Grove Orchestra (and a few of its later incarnations) for many years. (Frank played saxophone and I was in the trombone section.) 

Lorain City Hall to Undergo Face-Lifting – April 22, 1947

This painting of Lorain's former city hall hangs in the current city hall

The announcement that Lorain's city hall was going to be spruced up was front page news in the Lorain Journal of Tuesday, April 22, 1947 – 68 years ago today.

Here's the story (below). The fixing up of city hall was part of a larger "spring cleaning" campaign in Lorain, in which councilmen were charged with making sure their wards were "the cleanest in town."

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Lorain City Hall to Undergo Spring Face-Lifting

The residence that has served as city hall nearly 40 years will definitely get a much-needed face-lifting operation this spring.

That assurance was given by city councilmen last night as they enthusiastically joined in the spirit of Lorain's "spring cleaning" campaign slated May 12 to 30.

In addition to promising their whole-hearted cooperation in the drive, the solons authorized Service Director Wallace Chapla to take on bids on painting and repairing city hall inside and out at a cost not to exceed $1,200.

The director sent out an S. O. S. to council in the form of an ordinance, after the old building showed signs of "splitting her seams" during a recent rainstorm.

Not only has the hall sprung leaks in many places, but her "plates have been buckling" due to the ravages of time and the elements.

The building now used as city hall was built by William Jones for his private residence during the last century. It was the most pretentious house in Charleston village.

Jones died Jan. 15, 1888 after a record of building 40 vessels at his local shipyards. After Jones' death, John Stang purchased the property and resided in it until his death in 1899 in the room now used as the auditor's office.

Records show the city bought the building in the early 1900's from Herb Little, Stang's son-in-law, and in 1908 an architect was hired to remodel the structure.

The last time the hall was given a re-painting was in 1944 during the administration of Mayor Harry G. Van Wagnen.

Council voted full cooperation with next month's clean-up, paint-up, and plant-up drive, after Mayor Patrick J. Flaherty asked appointment of a special committee comprised of councilmen to take active part.

Council President John Jaworski responded by designating the committee of the whole–which consists of all councilmen–to serve as the special panel. He urged each ward representative to strive to make his district the cleanest in town.

Carl Eversman is chairman of the executive committee in charge of the campaign. He is assisted by James Colgan and Fire Chief Elmer Stough, co-vice chairman.

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Elsewhere on that same April 1947 front page of the Journal was a small item with the title, "DRIVE-IN CAFE IN LORAIN OPPOSED." It read, "Protesting anticipated use of former W. Erie-av service station as a drive-in eating place, a petition was presented to city council last night and referred to the building and lands committee. The petition was signed by 15 alleged property owners who wanted the area surrounding the former service station near W. Erie-av and 5th-st to be classified for residential purposes only.

The only filling station in that area at that time was a Gulf station located on the southwest corner of West Erie and Brownell Avenues, just a little east of the park with the Big V at Fifth Street. So I'm guessing that was the property in question.

The anticipated drive-in restaurant never came to pass, because the location apparently had some life left in it selling gas. It became one of the stations operated by Fred Hunger and lasted at least into the 1960s.

The residents who signed the petition back in 1947 would be happy today, as the service station at 1301 West Erie Avenue is long gone.

Courtesy Google Maps

Lorain Gets its Own "White House" – July 1930

A Leiter photograph of Lorain City Hall
(Courtesy Paula Shorf)

Lorain's former City Hall is a favorite topic of mine on this blog.

Why? Because it's a symbol of Lorain during its thriving days, in which the steel mill, the Ford Plant, the shipyard and all of the other companies and family businesses were booming. It represents the Lorain of my youth.

Ironically, it seems that once the old, decrepit City Hall was knocked down (along with the Police Station and much of Downtown) and replaced with a towering, garish monstrosity, the city's fortunes began to sink.

I've chronicled much of the history of the old City Hall, including a 6-part history (here), a 1934 article about the building's original "life" as the William Jones mansion (here), and the addition of more parking around the building in 1955 (here).

Well, here's another piece of the former City Hall's history – a Lorain Journal article (below) from July 12, 1930 about the impending whitewashing of the building, whose bricks had been painted red for years.

From the article, it sounds like part of the decision to paint the building white was just to keep men employed during the Depression.

More Parking for Lorain City Hall – October 1955

TREES GO, MORE PARKING SPACE – Two trees more than 50 years old

were removed today from the lawn area west of city hall building to make

room for additional parking. City workers cut the tops and roots and Van Sickle

Tree Co. equipment removed the stumps.

Here's a short news article for you old timers (like me) who remembered when Lorain's City Hall was located in the "old yellow house" (originally the William Jones mansion). The photo and article, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 5, 1955 explains why some very old trees were removed adjacent to the building.

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City Hall Loses Two Big Trees

Vintage postcard in which at least one of the trees can be seen

Two large trees, an oak and an elm, were removed today from the lawn area west of the city hall building to make way for additional parking places.

MANY CITIZENS stood in the drizzle watching city workers and employees of the Van Sickle Tree Co. remove the trees which reportedly were more than 50 years old.

Service Director Wallace J. Chapla said: "We didn't like the idea of removing the trees. It is just another case of clearing the way for progress and alleviating a parking problem."

CITY STREET department workers cut the tree down and cut around the roots. The job of pulling out the stump was done by tree company workers with the aid of heavy pulling equipment mounted on a large truck.

Chapla said another tree located on the west side of the building would also be removed to make facilitate [sic] parking.

****

And here's the finished result (below).

Photo courtesy Black River Historical Society

The loss of the trees really paved (no pun intended) the way for the eventual transformation of that property. The replacement of the old, antiquated city hall with the new one really marked the beginning of a new era in Lorain history.

The William Jones Mansion

Lorain's City Hall in the days when it was a private residence.
William Jones, an early shipbuilder, erected the building for a home.

Here's another article about a great old house. It's about the William Jones mansion, and it appeared in the pages of the Lorain Journal and Times-Herald on July 14, 1934. Of course, you know the building as the old Lorain City Hall that was demolished in 1974. (The photo and caption that ran with the article is shown above.)

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PRESENT CITY HALL BUILT FOR HOME BY PIONEER SHIPBUILDER
Jones House, 'Mansion' of '70's, Now Used for Muny Offices

Little did William Jones, an early settler in Lorain, and a pioneer shipbuilder, dream when he laid plans for his home on W. Erie-av. that the building some day would house the administrative office of the city 65 years later.

The present mayor, E. A. Braun, lived in the house as a boy.

Coming here from the New England states in the late sixties, Jones decided to build a home. He selected the present site of the city hall, then a quiet section. Work was started in 1870. Most of the carpentry was done by John F. Prince and Westwood Prince. When completed, it was a mansion and the pride of the city.

Bought by City in 1899
In 1877 the house was bought by John Stang, step father of the present mayor.

Stang was a contractor who built many of the docks along the river, also the main abutments of the Erie-av bridge. He died in 1899. About four years later, the building was bought by the city and used as a combination city hall and municipal court building.

Prior to this time, the city offices were in the old Wagner block which stood on the site of the Broadway building. All the offices were moved to the Stang building together with the police offices. The jail was at No. 1 fire station on 4th-st. and prisoners were taken from there to the city hall for arraignment.

City council also met in the building on the second floor. The interior of the building was remodeled from time to time with the offices shifted from floor to floor.

The amount paid by the city for the building was about $30,000, and it was only a few years ago that the last of the bonds were retired.

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For a nice gallery of vintage photos of the mansion, click here to visit Loraine Ritchey's That Woman's Weblog.

Christmastime at Old Lorain City Hall

Old Lorain City Hall Demolition Edition of the Passing Scene

Since I was always a big fan of artist Gene Patrick's The Passing Scene comic feature in the Journal, I'm always happy to find an excuse to include one here in this blog. (You can find several old Passing Scene strips here, here and here.)

Here is Mr. Patrick's humorous look at the demolition of the old City Hall, that ran on Saturday, April 6, 1974. (Click on it for a larger view.) He always drew a great Woody Mathna!

Old Lorain City Hall & Police Station Part 7

To bring this blog series to an appropriate conclusion, I decided to pay a visit to Lorain City Hall last Sunday morning to see if the triangular plaque rescued from the old City Hall was still on display. Since the old City Hall had been demolished more than 35 years ago, I wondered if the plaque would still be there.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the plaque was still hanging prominently in the lobby. Below the sign was a terrific painting of the old City Hall in autumn, signed "Zurkan." (Shown at right.)

Together they make a nice tribute, making sure that Lorain's original City Hall will not be forgotten anytime soon.

(Incidentally, the "pirate's treasure chest" sitting on the floor beneath the sign and painting is a time capsule prepared by USS/Kobe Steel Co. to commemorate the 100th anniversary of steelmaking in Lorain in 1996. At least when 2095 rolls around, city officials won't have trouble remembering where the time capsule is.)

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UPDATE (October 9, 2023)

Here's a photo of Lorain artist Ambrose J. Zurkan posing with his painting of old Lorain City Hall along with Mayor Joseph Zahorec. It appeared in the Journal back on November 19, 1973.

Old Lorain City Hall & Police Station Part 6

On March 27, 1974 a small article appeared near the bottom of the front page of the Journal.

City Hall Will Fall By Friday

The old Lorain city hall building will be torn down either tomorrow or Friday, Mayor Joseph Zahorec said this morning.

The century-old onetime mansion is now being stripped of anything of value and will be prepared for demolition soon along with the old police station behind it.

A large bulldozer is now sitting to one side of the former city hall, ready to start work. Shrubbery has already been stripped from behind the building.

The weathered plaque with the words "Lorain City Hall" has been removed from the brick structure. It will be saved and displayed in the new city hall next door.

***

On Friday, March 29 the city hall sadly came tumbling down. Staff Writer Steve Sidlo prepared the following report for the Journal.

Shed a Tear for Old Lorain City Hall

The old Lorain city hall is no more.

At precisely 8:27 this morning, the steel snout of a huge bulldozer unceremoniously bit into a century of history and began to reduce the former mansion to a pile of rubble.

A crowd of city employees, officials and bystanders gathered to watch the destruction. Some, led by Service Director Elio Jacobozzi, threw rocks through remaining windows. There was an almost festive atmosphere.

"I think it's the end of an era," Mayor Joseph Zahorec said as he watched a wall crumble into a cloud of dust that drove back people standing near the building.

"It's sad. It has some good memories." Zahorec reflected. "But I also think this is the beginning of big things happening in Lorain."

Jerry Eschtruth of Eschtruth Wrecking drove the bulldozer that was used to demolish the city hall and the old police station behind it.

He said a structure like the former city hall could be ripped down in a half day if the rubble could be hauled away fast enough. "It's not too tough, really," he said. As city hall crumbled, some of its heritage could be seen. Remains of the many fireplaces it once had could be seen, a hint of what it was when it was built in 1870 by shipbuilder William Jones.

The mansion, one of the finest in the city at the time, was purchased in 1877 by John Stang, a prominent citizen, banker and landowner. Stang helped develop Lorain's harbor in those days.

In 1903 the house became City Hall, after officials purchased it in the wake of a fire which destroyed the building being used for office space where the Broadway Building stands today.

Through the years, 22 mayors have occupied offices in the old city hall, starting with F. J. King and ending with Zahorec.

The site of the old city hall and police station will now become a parking lot for the new city hall complex. Eschtruth said that rubble from the old buildings will be used to fill in the basements and provide a bed for the parking lot.

***

Even though I was living in Lorain at the time, I don't remember too much about all this. I was probably preoccupied with high school.

Looking back, I wish that the old City Hall could have been saved and used as a museum or something. The current City Hall looks dated and garish, too big for a city that is shrinking and going through some tough times. And with Lorain's city jail closed, all the horse thieves and hobos are being sent to the county jail.

Well, if they ever tear down the current Lorain City Hall, I'll be there with my camera. (I'll bring some rocks too.)

Old Lorain City Hall & Police Station Part 5

Remember when I said that I'd visited the old central police station as a kid while working on a science project on forensic science? I remembered getting a tour of the jail and taking a few pictures with my trusty Kodak 126 camera. Well, it turns out that I still had the film negatives (from around 1972) – and the above image is the proof. (Click on it for the full "You are there" effect!)

Now that is how a jail cell should look – dark, filthy and disgusting. Note the names scratched into the walls, and the uncomfortable beds. And check out the toilet! Sorry, Charlie – toilet seats are for free men! If I didn't know better, I'd believe it if someone told me that this was right out of Alcatraz.

Seeing this as an eighth grader probably convinced me to stay on the straight and narrow!

Old Lorain City Hall & Police Station Part 4

The Journal ran a nice feature about the old central police station behind the old City Hall on December 16, 1973, the day that the new City Hall complex was dedicated. (The above photo is actually from the 1968 Greater Lorain Chamber of Commerce promotional booklet.)

The article collected a series of Lorain Times Herald and Lorain Journal News newspaper accounts from the days when the soon-to-be-demolished police station was new. Here are a few excerpts, courtesy of the Morning Journal.

NOVEMBER 10, 1910 – John "Zins" Zinsmeister rocked back in his chair, the ends of his droopy mustache drooping with max and his mind groggy from the radiator heat.

Outside it was bitter cold and the veteran patrolman bragged he didn't have to wear itchy woolens under his stiff blue uniform.

The brand new Lorain Central Police Station came to life today with the hissing and pinging of its monster steam furnace in the cellar, but the jail has yet to be completed.

With deep set eyes, high cheek bones and floppy ears, Zinsmeister looked more like a prisoner than a deskman. Today he found himself entombed in an office of iron bars. "A real caged attraction," a reporter cracked.

By 8:30 this morning Zims booked in the usual number of tramps and hobos, one horse thief and two gamblers, rounded up from the city's four other boxcar jails.

These prisoners would be brought before the mayor for trial.

NOVEMBER 15, 1910 – A disgruntled Chief Williams today said it wouldn't be until January before prisoners could be placed in the jail. Plans call for 20 cells capable of holding 40 prisoners.

H.E. Ford, the creator of this $14,000 fortress, could not be reached for comment. The station is engineered to hold in its iron-ribbed stomach, the crooks of the boom town of 28,000 people.

The upstairs of the station will feature an airy courtroom, store room, electrician's apartment and spacious room for police officers. Each patrolman will have his own locker.

JANUARY 12, 1911 – The new central police station was officially opened today as city fathers toured the building. Conspicuously missing was a cornerstone.

Old Lorain City Hall & Police Station Part 3

Here's a photo that ran on the front page of the Journal on Tuesday, December 4, 1973. It accompanied the lead story, which was written by Staff Writer Steve Sidlo. The headline read: Dedicate New City Hall Dec. 16

"With little fanfare and no speeches, the end of an era in Lorain's history was marked last night as City Council met for the last time in regular session in the old council chambers," the story began. "Mayor Zahorec announced this morning that council will meet Dec. 17 for the first time in the new council chambers in the nearly completed city hall complex."

"For the last half-century the now-dilapidated, old city courtroom has served double duty as the place where a good portion of Lorain's laws were passed."

I guess nobody was feeling particularly sentimental about the old City Hall. The article also noted, "The only ceremony at the meeting was when councilmen posed for photographs of their last session in the old chambers."

Old Lorain City Hall & Police Station Part 2

By the early 1970's urban renewal plans for downtown Lorain were taking shape, and this included a new City Hall for Lorain. Here's an interesting transitional photo featuring both City Halls, with the new one still under construction.

At right is the "now" view, shot last Saturday. (Click on each for a larger view.)

I feel a twinge of sadness when I look at the top photo, because the photo shows Lorain just at the brink of losing a lot of its heritage and unique character, thanks to urban renewal.

Next week I'll be posting some photos and newspaper articles about the demolition of the old City Hall, which took place in March of '74.

By the way, I purchased the print of the old City Hall at The 530 Shop at – where else? – 530 Broadway in Lorain. It's a great place to shop for antiques, collectibles and gifts, especially one-of-a-kind items from Lorain's past. The 530 Shop dates back to the mid-1960's at the same location, and it's great to see a downtown store from Lorain's past still around.

Old Lorain City Hall & Police Station Part 1

I've been blogging the last few weeks about downtown Lorain of the 1960's. As long as I'm in the neighborhood, I might as well pay a nostalgic visit to the old Lorain City Hall. Above is a photo of City Hall from the Images of America book published by the Black River Historical Society. (Click on it for a larger view.) The brick building behind City Hall is the old central police station.

As a Lorain Baby Boomer, I remember this City Hall well. I drew it during a 1968 Saturday morning art class (which I blogged about here.) About two years later, I paid a visit to the police station behind City Hall while working on a science project (remember those?) on forensic science. (Columbo was on TV at the time and it seemed like a good topic.)

Now for a little history. According to a Journal article from the 1970's, at one time the building was one of the finest mansions in the city. It was built by William Jones.

In 1877 it was purchased by John Stang, a prominent citizen, banker and landowner. In 1903 the City of Lorain bought the house for use as City Hall after a fire destroyed the building which previously housed the city offices. The building then served as Lorain's City Hall for 22 mayors, until its demolition in March 1974.

Here's a link to Loraine Ritchey's website, where she has a nice collection of vintage photos of the original brick building, as well as a few with the later peeling yellow paint.

Summer Art Class 1968 Part 2

Here are a few more sketches from the Lorain summer drawing class that my siblings and I took in the late 1960s. All three of these subjects were in close proximity to each other, since all of them faced Washington Park.

   Lesson 4 was the old City Hall. It's fascinating (to me, at least) because of the civil defense tower rising next to it.

   Lesson 5 was the First Congregational Church. I like the bird walking right above the name.

   Lesson 6 was Fire Station Number One, right next door to the church. I wonder; was there really was a potato-nosed fireman sitting on the porch that day?