Grand Opening of Cities Service Station – March 17, 1955

I've got to admit, I wasn't familiar with the Cities Service brand of gasoline shown in the above Grand Opening ad, which ran in the Lorain Journal on March 17, 1955 – 60 years ago this month. That is, until I learned that Cities Service was the forerunner of CITGO. (You can read the history of the brand here.)

Anyway, the service station shown in the ad, which was located at 401 E. Erie (the corner of California and E. Erie) had previously been listed in the directories as being Don Rounds' station, with no particular brand of gasoline listed in the various phone books and directories.

1959 Lorain Phone Book Listing

By 1955 the station was part of the Cities Service chain.

The names associated with the station in the ad – Wolack and Mersdorf – apparently were not involved with the enterprise for very long. By the time of the 1955-56 directory it was listed as Bob & Jim's City Service gas station (with the names Bob and James Waugaman being associated with the business).

In the 1957 directory, the station was listed as Jack's Cities Service with Jack Edwards listed as the owner. It would retain this name until the time of the 1966 directory, when the CITGO name replaced the original Cities brand and the station became Jack's CITGO Service.

The station would continue under this name until the time of the 1973 directory, when the address was listed as vacant – which is why I don't remember the gas station at all.

I was much more familiar with the building (greatly modified) as the longtime home of Hills Business Machines and its various offshoot office products companies. Hills moved in by the time of the 1976 directory.

Today the building at 401 E. Erie is home to T-Bonds Bail Bonds.

Here is the "now" shot of the building from this past weekend (below).

Tomorrow: Lorain's Retro Cities Service Station 

March 10, 1955 Food Center Ad Starring… Sparky?

Here's something kind of interesting for all you advertising buffs.

Sparky (from a 1958 ad)

It's an ad for Jay's Food Center that appeared in the Lorain Journal on March 10, 1955 – 60 years ago tomorrow. It features a meat cleaver-wielding grocer mascot that bears a strong resemblance to Sparky, the mascot of the Sparkle Market chain (shown at left).

The Sparkle Markets chain was organized in 1955. According to the company website, the chain was born when four independent grocers banded together and joined a group of Akron-area independent grocers. Together, they formed the Sparkle Market group and thus were better positioned to compete with the national chains.

Jay's Food Center did become Jay's Sparkle Market by 1957.

Could the freckled cartoon mascot in the ad be the forerunner of Sparky? Perhaps it was indeed an early Sparky with his name scrubbed off his cap so that the Sparkle ad template could be used by grocery stores that had joined the buying group but hadn't officially adopted the Sparkle name yet.

First Evangelical Lutheran Church – Last Looks

Since the planned demolition of First Lutheran Church last week was postponed last week due to the bad weather, I had a chance to snap some last shots this past weekend.

With the weather warming up, I'm guessing the demolition will be back on track soon.

Considering how bad I feel about this tragedy – and I hadn't attended services there since the mid-1960s – I can't imagine the pain that its current congregation and the people that depend on it for social services are feeling.

I was frankly surprised how big the church campus was; it's very deceiving seeing only the side that faces Sixth Street.

With the original Lorain High School long-gone, and soon First Lutheran, that part of town will have changed significantly in the last ten years – like much of Lorain.

Lorain Crystal Ice Company – Part 5

A few days after the conclusion of my series on the Lorain Crystal Ice Company, I received an email from Bob Kovach, who has generously contributed many great photos and reminisces to this blog over the years.

Bob has an interesting connection with the Lorain Crystal Ice Company. He wrote, "I have some pictures of the concrete plant that was across from the ice house. I helped tear down the concrete plant in the early 80's while working out of the old ice house for the Sewer Dept."

(As I mentioned on my post, Lorain Crystal Ice Company became Lorain Ready Mixed Concrete in the late 1950s, and the city acquired the property in the 1970s.)

Bob was not only kind enough to share his photos, but he also prepared some special graphics to document the layout of the ice house and the concrete plant, and where they were located relative to the road leading down to Hot Waters.

Here's his map of the area (below).

Bob Kovach's Map showing the layout of the ice house of the former
Lorain Crystal Ice Company, as well as the company's cement plant 

Regarding the ice house, Bob explained, "The only section I can say for sure of being part of the ice house was the first section that was on your left as you drove down the hill towards Hot Waters. It was a huge open area with walls lined with cork. By this time, the cork was deteriorating and falling off. The water dept used it to store cold patch. It did not have a connecting doorway to the next area. 

Compare this photo with Bob's map and explanation at left
to understand the layout of the building

"The next area was not insulated. It had an old wooden staircase that went up to the area with the old wooden barn doors. We could never go up there because the floor for that room was rotting away. The Sewer dept used it to store misc equipment and it did have a door connecting it to the next room. There were some sections in this room that were once lined with wood and behind the wood there was sand. Insulation maybe? Connected by a doorway the next room was a large open area were Sewer Department trucks were kept. The rest of it was just really old block wall rooms."

Next, Bob described what he remembered about the cement plant.

He wrote, "Now about the cement plant. In 1985, the Sewer Dept. was assigned the task of tearing down the structure. I believe that cinder block and possibly red brick were also made there because of the drying kilns and also many broken bags of red colorant of some sort. There was a ladder that went way above the whole structure. Why, I don't know – but you could see way out over the lake."

Here are Bob's photos of the cement plant. The oldest shot (showing the ladder) is from 1973 and the demolition shots are from 1985.

1973 view of cement works

Cement plant loading docks

Cement Works

Cement Works

Cement Works

Cement Works

Control Room

Amazingly, Bob even prepared a special aerial shot of the whole area with labels. I asked him where he got the photo and was surprised by his answer. Bob replied, "I use to rent out a plane and pilot from the flight school at the county airport a few times a year back then. That's what I did for fun!"

Here is Bob's vintage aerial shot of the whole Hot Waters area. You won't find this on Bing Maps!

Bob concluded, "I hope that between my description and map you get a little better idea of how it was set up down there. Wish I took more pictures back then but I am so glad I took what I did."

I am too, Bob – and thanks for sharing and making the story of the Lorain Crystal Ice Company more complete!

March 4, 1955 – Black River Flooding

Sixty years ago today – March 4, 1955 – the Black River overflowed its banks and flooded Cascade Park, as well as many basements and stores in Elyria.

According to the article featured on the front page of the Lorain Journal above, the Black River flooded 17 feet over its banks in Cascade Park. Basements in areas of Elyria where new storm sewers were recently installed were filled with three to four feet of water.

Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself in March 2015.

It can always be worse, I guess. Elsewhere on that same front page, lava fountains were shooting 300 to 400 feet in the air near the village of Kapoho in Hawaii, where the three mile long east rift of Kilauea volcano was "a mass of seething, blood-colored lava." All of the village's 335 residents had to evacuate.

Also on the front page of the Journal: the planned widening of Colorado Avenue; the death of the richest nun in the world; the announcement of the largest single private home building program ever announced for northeastern Ohio; and what to do if your brand new 1955 Ohio license plates were peeling.

Lord of Life Lutheran Church Memories

I wonder how many people whiz by this building on Leavitt Road in their cars and know that it used to be a thriving Lutheran church on Lorain's west side – namely, Lord of Life Lutheran Church?

Not very many, most likely – except for those that used to attend services there, like me.

I mentioned last week how my family had switched to Lord of Life Lutheran Church from First Lutheran in Downtown Lorain. We'd moved in late 1965 to Skyline Drive, and heard that Lord of Life was starting up. It made sense to attend a church that was only a few minutes away. Several other families from First Lutheran thought so too, and made the change as well.

November 1967 Lorain Phone Book Listing

We had a hand in the church's beginnings. Mom remembers helping with painting walls before it opened. Dad was an usher. Mom sang in the choir. Like the other families, we took our turn cleaning the church and setting up the chairs for services. We attended potluck dinners. My sister went through catechism and was confirmed there.

It was a nice time in our life that I think about once in a while. It was also probably the last time I polished my shoes regularly (on Saturday night, while watching reruns of Maverick and Wild, Wild West).

I have to confess (which is appropriate in view of the subject manner) that I was very often distracted during church services. I used to look around and imagine what I would do if "bad guys" (usually gangsters) were chasing me around the church trying to get me. Where would I hide? Where could I climb to get away from them? I used to mentally plan my escape from these baddies, and my imaginary route around the altar was not unlike that of Billy's dotted line meanderings in the Family Circus comic.

My family eventually planned its own escape from Lord of Life. Tired of the unpleasant but necessary emphasis by church officials on money, money, money, my parents decided that they'd had enough. So they explained to my siblings and me that we weren't going to go to church any more.

Part of the problem was that it was hard to get used to the newness and bare-bones nature of Lord of Life's spartan surroundings, especially the cold, uncomfortable metal folding chairs. It just didn't compare to the rich heritage and beauty of First Lutheran Church – where both my parents attended services as kids, where they got married, and where all of us were baptized.

Anyway, an anniversary associated with Lord of Life occurred a few days ago – the 48th anniversary of its very first worship service. Here's the scoop, as it appeared in the Chronicle-Telegram of February 25, 1967.

****

New Church at Lorain to have first service

LORAIN – The first worship service of Lord of Life Lutheran Church will be conducted at 10 a.m. tomorrow, according to the Rev. Dennis Dickman, pastor.

The church, located on Leavitt Rd. at the future intersection of Tower Blvd., is being established by the American Lutheran Church, according to the Rev. Mr. Dickman.

Tomorrow's service will climax two months of preliminary work by Mr. Dickman home mission parish worker.

Organizational work has been under the guidance of a steering committee consisting of William Knoske, Edward Brady, Thomas Hoffman, David Snively and Harold Kunkel, all local residents.

They will serve as ushers. Music will be provided by the choir of Zion Lutheran Church in Huron.

Dedication of the church is scheduled for March 19 with formal organization of the congregation slated for late May.

****

Lord of Life Lutheran Church lasted until the end of the 1980s. Its last listing in the city directory was 1989, and the address went vacant in the following year's edition.

By the time of the 1992 directory, the church building was once again in business helping to do God's work – serving as the Chapel and Youth Center for the Church on the North Coast nearby. It remains part of the Church on the North Coast campus today.

****

UPDATE
The former Lord of Life Lutheran Church property at 4415 N. Leavitt Road is going to be the home of three new retail establishments, according to this story in the Morning Journal.

October 2016 photo

The House at 1723 E. Erie in Lorain

I've admired this stately house at 1723 E. Erie Avenue in Lorain for some time now. Maybe it's the pillars that give it such a commanding presence. I love the red door too.

Although there's still a Howard Hanna sign out front, it appears to be off the market for now – which is too bad, because I think it was a pretty good buy for someone looking for a fine old house on the lakefront.

Anyway, I was curious about the house. Who was the original owner – and what did he do for a living?

The house was not listed in the 1921 city directory at the Lorain Public Library, but it did appear in the next available book, the 1924 edition. (The Lorain County Auditor website says it was built in 1923.)

Charles W. Pomeroy (1864-1947) and his wife May were listed as the owners. His occupation was listed as 'traveling salesman' in that first book, before being shortened to just 'salesman' in the 1926 book and then 'broker' after that in all subsequent editions.

Since it looks like a pretty big house, it makes sense that the Pomeroys had other couples living there with them during the next several decades. Here are the listings from available directories

1924 William L. and Vera Taft
1926 Frank and Ann Gracey
1931 Stanley and Louise Goldsmith
1933 Edward and Ruth Kumbler
1937 Harold and Helen Reese
1940 August Allendorf and family
1942 August Allendorf and family
1945 Joseph and Helen Cullman

The men in these listings had professions such as federal officer, salesman, branch manager, foreman, steelworker and life insurance salesman.

Beginning in the 1947 book, Mrs. Mae Pomeroy is listed as the owner of 1723 E. Erie. The 1950 book has August W. Allendorf listed as the owner, and the next book (1954) lists Ruth E. Allendorf as the owner.

The Sandusky Register of August 9, 1949 sheds a little light on all this. That edition of the newspaper includes this obituary (below).

MRS. CHARLES POMEROY
Lorain, August 9 – Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Pomeroy, 82, widow of the late Charles Wells Pomeroy, died Monday at her residence, 1723 E. Erie-av, following a lengthy illness. She had been a resident of Lorain for 34 years and was born in Put-in-Bay. Surviving is a daughter, Mrs. August Allendorf and a grandson, William Allendorf of Sandusky.

So it all makes sense with the additional information gleaned from the obituary.

There is a lot of online family tree research regarding the Pomeroy name, and some of it makes reference to the Lorain branch of the family. Perhaps a distant family member will find this and be gratified to know that their relative built such a beautiful home on the shores of Lake Erie in what was then regarded as the elite part of town.