Cabin Fever

Blogging about Vian’s motel and cabins the last two weeks reminded me of some other cabins that I’d been trying to research for some time now.

About a year ago, I had to make a trip to Toledo. While zipping along on the Ohio Turnpike somewhere west of Fremont, I noticed a cluster of small, ancient white cabins near the highway.

Could they be an old tourist camp that somehow survived? They were behind an old farmhouse, and looked almost identical to the surviving cabin of the old Hialeah Tourist Court in Lorain.

Although I have a ponderous backlog of local blog topics to research, for some reason I was determined to find out more about those cabins. Maybe there was even an old postcard out there showing them in their heyday.

After taking a virtual drive on the Ohio Turnpike via Google Maps, I was able to come up with the name of the road on which the cabins are located (Overmyer Road), as well as the closest town (Lindsey). I then contacted the Sandusky County Auditor’s office to see if they knew anything.

In a very nice email, they instructed me how to locate the parcel in their records using its County Road 127 designation. Unfortunately, there was no indication of how old the cabins were. But I did come up with the name of the owner of the property.

I utilized the Historic Aerials website, but it was hard to tell from old aerial photos whether they were there before the Ohio Turnpike was built.

But they were still in the middle of nowhere, which didn’t make a lot of sense, because tourist camps were usually located in a town or near the outskirts. So were they really old tourist cabins?

I decided to just call the owner of the property and ask him, which I did last evening.

I was a little apprehensive, however, because not everyone appreciates a phone call out of the blue from a kook asking nosy questions.

Apparently this guy didn’t, either. As I started to ask about the cabins, he replied gruffly, “They were a migrant labor camp” and promptly hung up.

So perhaps the cabins were more like those seen in The Grapes of Wrath.

Anyway, I think I’ll confine my cabin research to Lorain County for the near future.

Vian’s Barbecue – Then & Now

Although I finished up my blog series on Vian’s yesterday, I realized that I forgot to give it the “then & now” treatment, even though I shot the “now” photo about a week ago in preparation for it.

Above is a postcard showing the restaurant how it looked shortly after it opened. Below is a slightly newer version; you can see how the front of the building has been expanded a bit.

The former Vian’s property is about a thousand feet from my house, and it’s difficult for me not to see the restaurant in my mind’s eye as I drive by it daily.

Here is the view today showing where the restaurant was located (below).

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Speaking of the restaurant, I received an interesting email this week from a reader named Shari. Shari wrote, “I wanted to share with you that my dad helped demolish Vian’s.”

I thought that was pretty interesting. Did he manage to salvage any souvenirs?

Indeed he did. As Shari related, “He tore out the bar before the building was demolished. At the time they were finishing their basement and that is where the bar has been ever since. It is in wonderful shape and has never really been used.

“It’s neat that my dad has a part of Sheffield Lake history.”

I think so, too. Thanks for sharing, Shari!

Vian’s Part 8

Throughout the 1970s, Vian's On the Lake Motel Plaza was still promoted in ads in the phone book as "the Commercial Man’s Haven in the Lorain Area."

Beginning with the 1979 phone book, however, the motel underwent a name change and became the Driftwood Motel. Here’s the ad (below) that appeared in the 1979 edition.

The motel continued to offer a few amenities, including color TVs and in-room telephones, and the cottages (referenced as 'kitchenettes' in the ad) were still available for rent.

But apparently the motel’s name change coincided with the gradual winding down of the business, because the ad appeared only one more time, in the 1980 phone directory. And with the 1981 edition, the Vian’s name sadly disappeared from the listings, and a chapter in Sheffield Lake roadside hospitality history came to an end.

The restaurant would last a little longer, operating as the Terrace Restaurant. (I also remember going in there in the early 1980s when it was briefly called City Limits.)

With the motel closed and for sale, it’s not surprising that the huge Vians lakefront property attracted the attention of developers. However, it would take a while for the right proposal to come along that would meet with approval by the city and nearby residents.

The article below, which appeared in the December 23, 1982 Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, describes how one developer's luxury condo proposal met much resistance and ended up being scuttled.

Meanwhile, the shuttered motel (now more than twenty years old) was beginning to deteriorate and was becoming somewhat of a nuisance. The article below from the September 13, 1984 Elyria Chronicle-Telegram tells the sad story.

A Journal newspaper article from June 23, 1985 provided a bleak summary of the situation. It stated, "Sheffield Lake's financial plight is perhaps symbolized best by the Driftwood Motel, which is, along with its attendant cottages, a rotting, vandalized hulk sitting on the largest piece of lakefront real estate in the city. It has been that way for two years. Its companion restaurant, the Terrace, closed recently, too."

Two years later, the motel was still deteriorating, and yet another developer's request for rezoning of the property hit an unexpected roadblock. An article by Mike Noga in the September 9, 1987 Avon Lake Press stated, "Developers who were denied rezoning of land at the site of the former Vian's Driftwood Motel told the Press they want council to call for a revote. They want council to reconsider an ordinance which can grant them limited-use zoning for the development of a 51-unit, $5.3 million condominium community.

"Developer Paul Alexy said he did not expect the Aug. 11 rezoning refusal on a 2-4 vote."

A photo of the Driftwood Motel (below) accompanied the front page article.

Eventually the plan for the property seemed to move forward. A short article in the May 4, 1988 Press stated, "Lakehurst Construction Corp. and Sheffield Lake developer Paul Alexy plan to begin construction of 36 town houses at this location. Alexy said the project will be in full swing by late May, weather permitting, and the development will be called Pointe of View. The two and three bedroom town houses planned range from $150,000 to $170,000 and are available through local real estate agents. He said each town house will have its own garage, fireplace, solarium over dining room and private entrance. Owners will share access to the lake with two fishing piers that are being renovated and be members of a homeowners association which will coordinate other activities."

However, there was a change in plans. 

The Plain Dealer of January 7, 1990 included a small item which stated, "Kopf Construction Corp. paid $524,000 for a now-demolished motel and surrounding land along E. Lake Rd. in Sheffield Lake. The firm has proposed building a 48-unit, two-building condominium project for the site."

There were some more tweaks needed in the proposal. The Plain Dealer of December 7, 1990 included a short article with the heading, "Sheffield Lake's revised condo plans OK'd." It stated, "The Sheffield Lake Planning Commission has approved developer Herman (Bucky) Kopf's revised plans for condominiums at the site of the former Vian's Motel on Lake Rd. Kopf originally had planned 48 units, but cut back to 24. City Council must now vote on the plan. The cost of the scaled-down project is estimated at $4.6 million.  Kopf said he was hoping to take out a building permit for the project in January."

The condominium project – eventually known as the Residence on the Beach – was finally built. A Kopf Builders ad for the condos (below) appeared in the May 15, 1991 Press.

Today the condominium complex is known simply as The Residence. It’s an impressive and attractive community that has helped contribute to a positive image of a modern Sheffield Lake.

It’s also fitting that Nicholas Vian’s property – well-known for providing so many area residents and travelers with happy memories of good food, lodging and fun – is enjoying “retirement” in such beautiful and serene surroundings.

I hope you enjoyed this look back at a part of Sheffield Lake’s heritage that deserves to be remembered. 

Vian’s Part 7

During the 1960s, Nicholas Vian continued to regularly promote his restaurant and motel in the Journal and the Lorain Telephone Company directory.

Here’s a selection of ads from that time period.

July 3, 1964 ad from the Journal

July 4, 1964 ad from the Journal

October 10, 1964 ad from the Journal

1968 Phone Book Ad

1969 Phone Book Ad

Nicholas Vian passed away in March 1969 at his winter home in Riviera Beach, Florida after an illness of five years. But his daughter and her husband, Ethel and Stephen Izold, and her family had been assisting with management of the businesses for years, so operation of the restaurant, as well as the motel & cottages, continued without interruption.

Rick Kurish – whose mother-in-law was a waitress at Vian’s in the 1960s – sent me the short promotional newspaper article below which features a quote from Dick Izold, the manager at the time.

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Count on area kids to rustle up the bait!

Vian’s - on - the - Lake, 3731 East Lake Rd., Lorain, has a lot to offer the vacationer. And, if the vacationer happens to have a boat on a trailer behind them, Vian’s is just the place.

The 25-unit motel, restaurant and cocktail lounge, all open to the public, sit right on Rts. 6 and 2. There are 10 housekeeping cottages.

Vian’s has five piers on the lake. Though manager Dick Izold says there are no boats for rent, there are a number of them available to motel or cottage guests.

No bait is sold, but there are, he says, “always kids around who can get it.”

For the guest who has trailered his boat to Vian’s, there is a hoist for in and out service.

Shoreway Shopping Center is just a short hop from Vian’s.

Next: The Rest of the Story

Vian’s Part 6

The 1957 Lorain Telephone Company directory was the first edition to carry an ad (shown above) for the new motel that was part of the Vian restaurant and cabin/cottage property.

A few black and white postcards apparently date from this early era of the motel. The front of this postcard (below) still shows the now familiar cabin area with the low white wall, but the back of the card describes Vian’s On the Lake as “Finest Motel, Cottages and Restaurant, facing beautiful Lake Erie."

This postcard (below) has a similar mail panel side, which mentions the motel but doesn't show it.

The ad below – which ran in the 1959 Brookside High School yearbook – reveals the motel's name: N and N Motel. The photo also shows the early version of the unique sign.

By 1961, Vian’s ads in the Lorain Telephone Company directory included an attractive rendering of the motel (below). 

The listing in the 1961 white pages included all of the Vian enterprises, including the restaurant, the motel & cabins, and the real estate business.

1961 Lorain Telephone Company directory listing

Nicholas Vian also promoted his motel through a series of color postcards (below). You can see how the design of the postcards evolved, with minor tweaks to the photo layout in order to spotlight some of the motel’s amenities.

Courtesy www.cardcow.com

This card (purchased on Ebay) was postmarked 1968

The backs of these two postcards featuring photos of family members
listed Mr. and Mrs. Izold as Managers

Next: More of the 1960s

Vian’s Part 5

Ad from the January 18, 1950 Lorain Journal

By the early 1950s, Vian’s had been open for more than ten years. Ads for the restaurant were appearing regularly in the Lorain Journal.

Ad from the August 5, 1950 Lorain Journal

Ad from the Jan. 15, 1953 Lorain Journal

By 1954, Nicholas Vian had decided to expand his business with the addition of a motel to his property. The small article below – in which he finally was issued a permit by Sheffield Lake officials for his proposed 13 unit motel – appeared in the Lorain Journal on May 28, 1954.

Article from the May 28, 1954 Lorain Journal

It would be a few more years before the motel opened.

Meanwhile the restaurant was still being promoted regularly in newspaper ads, such as this ad (below) which ran a few days before Thanksgiving 1955.

Just a month later in 1955, a fire in the restaurant caused by a deep fryer did $1200 damage. The photo and caption below appeared in the Lorain Journal on December 27, 1955.

Next: The Motel

Vian’s Part 4

Nicholas Vian apparently believed in the power of advertising and promotion, as a second series of postcards were issued promoting his barbecue restaurant and cabin business. These are of a slightly different design than the earlier set, and all feature a border around the photo.

The postcard above shows that the restaurant building has been slightly modified around the entrance since the older postcard with the same view.

Another postcard in this same series shows the entrance to the cabin area (below), which was located behind the restaurant.

In this postcard (below), you can see the flagpole, as well as the low white wall with the urns, at the far right side of the photo.

And here are two more postcards from this same series (below). Although their image quality is not as good, they’re useful in that they provide additional views of the cabin area.

Next:  Into the 1950s