National Tube Entrance Then and Now

Several of my posts this week have all sprouted from my drive along Pearl Avenue last Saturday. So I  might as well end the week just as Pearl Avenue ends, at the gates to the steel mill.

Here is a vintage postcard looking north towards the gates that are well-known to so many Lorainites.

And here is my corresponding photograph from last Saturday.

It's not a perfect recreation of the postcard's camera angle, but it's fairly close – plus I did it from memory!

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In its heyday, the National Tube Company was one of the largest steel mills in the world, covering more than 1,440 acres. The mill was like a city with its own dock, power plant, water works, police department and fire department. It once employed about 12,000 people!

The plant has operated under several names, including the National Tube Company of U.S. Steel and the Lorain Cuyahoga Works of U.S. Steel. It became USS/KOBE in 1989.

In August 1999, Republic Technologies acquired the bar business. U.S. Steel continues to operate the seamless pipe portion of the mill as the Lorain Pipe Mills.

Most Lorainites have some connection with the steel plant; if they didn't work there themselves, some family member, friend or neighbor did.

I worked there one summer as a college student. It was a pretty fascinating way to spend the summer.

I had a pretty cushy job – in refrigeration! Which means that I was one of several college kids helping the guys who were troubleshooting, repairing and installing air conditioner units throughout the plant.

The days that we spent removing or installing air conditioners in offices were pretty fun. But when we had to go out into the steel mill and blow the dust out of these huge industrial fans – ugh. You and your 'green clothes' ended up covered with black dust. Climbing around in cranes high above everything, trying to remove a window unit wasn't much fun either.

I learned two things by the end of summer. One: the regular steel workers really earned their pay – and my respect. And two: I did not want to work in a steel mill.

Sacred Heart Chapel Then & Now

I don't get out to South Lorain very often, so when I do I tend to drive around and see how much things have (or have not) changed in the last twenty or thirty years.

While driving north on Pearl Avenue from Route 254 this past weekend (heading towards Oakwood Shopping Center), I happened to notice Sacred Heart Chapel and was so struck by its beauty that I had to pull over and snap a picture.

According to the Lorain Images of America book, Sacred Heart Chapel was originally on Vine Avenue. (An article in the Morning Journal here mentions that it opened its doors in 1952.) The book notes that the church opened its new building on April 15, 1974 and that it "was built for over half a million dollars and serves the Hispanic community in the area."

Here is the undated photo from the Images of America book.

And here is my shot (below) from last Saturday. (Click on it for a larger view.)

While in high school, I was a trombonist in a local salsa band for several years. I have a lot of great memories of performing at various events and functions in the Latin community, including at least one outdoor festival at the new Sacred Heart Chapel a couple of years after it opened.

Oakwood Shopping Center Update

While driving around this past Saturday, I decided to head north on Pearl Avenue from Route 254 to see if the Schwebel's Bakery Outlet Thrift Store was still there. (It was.) After that, I decided to keep on going and see what was happening with the old Oakwood Shopping Center (or Oakwood Plaza, if you prefer).

I was a little surprised to see how little of it was still there. There's the Family Dollar store and... nothing else!

Here's a link to an interesting blog entitled Lorain County Photographer's Blog. The blogger shot some great photos in the same area back in January 2009, including a nice panoramic view of the whole shopping center. There was a lot more of the shopping center then than there is now.  

Pearl the Squirrel (the longtime mascot of Oakwood Shopping Center since it opened in November 1958) would not be amused.

(Regular readers of this blog know that when they see Pearl the Squirrel paying a visit to this blog, that means that I'm plugging my other website! I haven't added any new content lately, but if you've never visited Oakie's Treehouse before, now is a good time!)

So Long, Nickles!

Another piece of old-time Lorain has apparently bit the dust. The Nickles Bakery Thrift Store at 3215 W. 21st Street has closed. I drove by there a week ago and noticed the sign. (In the photo above, the sky looks appropriately bleak.)

I'm a little bit surprised that the store is closed. With economic times as bad as they are, stores like these were a big help. As I noted back here, you could buy an awful lot of baked goods in there for just a few bucks.

The store dates from the mid-1970's, and used to be a weekly stop for our family on Saturday mornings back then. In addition to the bread (including my favorite – Hillbilly Bread) my Mom used to buy huge white boxes of cream sticks.

My other favorite from the store was Corn Toasties. The Nickles company had stopped making them a year or two ago. But then, unexpectedly, they showed up in the store a few weeks ago. I was so excited I almost bought all they had that day. (I generously left a couple packages on the shelf for other Toastie fans.)

It was back in February that the Wonder Bread - Hostess Bakery outlet store on Colorado Avenue closed (click here for the story), so that leaves Lorain with just the Schwebel's Bakery Outlet Thrift Store out at 5075 Pearl Avenue.

Here's a link to the Nickles Bakery website. It's got a store locator just in case you're having trouble finding your Nickles Donut Fair Glazed Twirls (my buddy Chuck's favorite) or Banana Flips.

The Lorain Arena Part 4

Recently I was invited to take a look inside the former Lorain Arena (which is currently for sale) by Bill Latrany, the listing agent. Bill has a pretty good connection with Lorain's roller skating heritage, as he was the Disc Jockey at Skate World in Lorain for 14 years.

It was good to get an up-close look at the former Baetz Dairy Bar and later Arena Restaurant (below). I had admired its unique styling for a long time, and wondered why it was connected to the larger barn-like building. Now I know why; this building was there first and the Arena was added later.

The former Lorain Arena and its entrance are to the west of this building. (See photo below and click on it for a closer look.)

Although I had never been inside the Lorain Arena when it was still open (my generation went to Skate World), I was happy to get a tour. While Kerr Beverage, the last tenant of the property, did enlarge the building complex to fit their needs, they did not change the Arena portion very much at all. Here are two views of the interior.

At the time of the Arena's opening, the maple floor was described as costing more than $40,000 for material and labor. According to the Lorain Journal at the time, it was laid by the Cincinnati Floor Company.

The floor is still in pretty good shape as well. Here's a close-up of its unique curved design. A little TLC and it would be ready for another generation of Lorain roller skaters!

Special thanks to Bill Latrany for the opportunity to take a look at a unique bit of Lorain history. I know that he would love nothing better than for someone to purchase the property and put it to use once again for the public's enjoyment. (For a link directly to this real estate listing, click here.)

The Lorain Arena Part 3

By the 1960's, the Lorain Arena was running this ad fairly often in the Lorain Journal (this ad is from June 1, 1960). But the Lorain Arena was not just for roller skating. Like its predecessor, the Coliseum, it hosted many concerts and big events.

According to this October 2009 article in the Morning Journal, the Lorain Arena once hosted a Dick Clark Review that included acts like the Coasters, Bill Haley and the Comets, Bobby Rydell and Annette Funicello. In the article, Bob Catalano (son of Angelo Catalano, a former owner of the Lorain Arena) offers an interesting anecdote about meeting Annette Funicello there.

Meanwhile, the distinctive building attached to the Arena at the front of the property (the former Baetz Dairy Bar) became known as the Arena Restaurant. Here's one of their ads from June 4, 1960.

I wonder what a Roller-Burger tasted like?

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Sometime in the late 1960's, the Lorain Arena finally closed, bringing Lorain's westside roller skating legacy to a temporary halt. But within a few years, Skate World opened up a little further west on Route 6 and it was time to strap on the skates once more.

The Lorain Arena's huge space apparently became desirable for a few companies in the 1970's, as it hosted a motor home business and then Penton Imports Motorcycles. Finally, it became the home of Kerr Beverage for several decades, until it closed earlier this year.

Next: Inside the Lorain Arena – today!

The Lorain Arena Part 2

Here's an ad (above) that ran in the Lorain Journal on April 2, 1955 promoting the well-known local company that served as the general contractor for the Lorain Arena, Clem Rice. The ad has a nice construction rendering of the Arena itself (the large building) and the small attached building in front (formerly the Baetz Dairy Bar building).

Clem Rice Inc. eventually evolved into R.E. Rice Inc. You can visit their website by clicking here.

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Also from the same newspaper is this ad listing the Skating Schedule for the brand new Lorain Arena.

The owners of the Arena really went all out to make sure their new endeavor was a success. To attract new skaters, they offered classes, as the following article from the Lorain Journal that day explains.

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Instructions for Skaters Available

A complete program of roller skating instructions will be available at the new Lorain Arena beginning Tuesday, April 5.

Adult classes featuring 12 weeks of basic instructions will start Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Basic Course
Tony Mayo, arena manager said the course will cover basic and foundation skating in addition to the four basic dances – glide waltz, chase waltz, society blues and collegiate.

Instructions in basic dance will be conducted every Friday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The lessons will be a continuation of the foundation class and will include the Cross Tango, "B" Waltz, Siesta Tango, Tea Step, Fourteen Step and other dances.

Children's Classes
Children's roller skating classes will be conducted from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. every Saturday, starting April 9.

Mayo said all members of classes must pay admission fees for the rink on class nights.

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Roller skating is a world that I'm not familiar with at all. I had no idea that there were actual dances to be performed on roller skates. I thought you just went around and around and around....

After reading this article, I now know why I had so much trouble the first (and last) time that I tried to roller skate (which I described here). It helps to take a class first – maybe even 12 weeks worth!