The Bell Tolls for Former Fire Station

It was kind of sad to drive by the former Lorain Fire Station No. 7 at the corner of Meister and Leavitt Roads and see it being torn down last week.

Why? For a couple of reasons.

While growing up on E. Skyline Drive in the 1960s and 70s, I always thought it was rather comforting to know that a fire station was only a couple minutes away. We could see it from our house. Of course, much later the station was moved over to W. 21st Street, and the building became part of the Lorain Police Dept. The police moved out a few years ago and since then the empty building has literally began to fall apart – necessitating its demolition.

But another reason to feel a little bad about the building is that it was it was the West Side's last link to its days before it became part of Lorain.

Back in the latter part of the 1800s, that corner was the location of a one-room schoolhouse that served Black River Township. After the school closed, the little red brick building was repurposed as the original administration building for Port Mills Airport in 1929.

But as the 1940s began, the corner of Meister and Leavitt Roads was going to be the location of a brand new Black River Township garage – and the former school would have to go. Bids for the new building appeared in the Lorain Journal in September that year.

By the end of November 1940, the contract had been awarded and the garage was under construction.

Nov. 23, 1940

With the purchase of new fire equipment, the garage – which opened in April 1941 – became a fire station.

As Lorain grew in the following years, and annexed township land, the Black River Township fire station found itself in a strange position. It was located in Lorain, but could not legally put out fires in that city. It was one of the reasons that the existence of Black River Township didn't really make any sense any more.

Black River Township fire station circa 1964

Black River Township fire station circa 1964

I wrote about this odd situation in my series on the End of Black River Township (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5).

Anyway, at the end of July 1964, the Black River Township fire station was officially taken over by the City of Lorain.

July 31, 1964

But with Leavitt Road about to be widened from two lanes to four, the small white frame house seen in the photos above – where the firemen slept when not on duty – had to go. But the State of Ohio was a little stingy in its offer to buy it from the city. 

Oct. 22, 1964

It took a little while, but the state and Lorain finally agreed upon a price.

Nov. 13, 1964

But now the firemen at No. 7 needed a place to sleep – so an addition to the station was built.

May 25, 1965

The station became a familiar, reassuring site on Lorain's West Side with the latest in equipment.

But all good things come to an end, and with Lorain rapidly expanding in population on the West Side, it made sense to move the station over to the city complex on W. 21st Street. The former No. 7 fire station became a storage facility for the Lorain Police.

But after the police moved out, the building went into further disrepair. A storm severely damaged the front left corner of the building facing Meister Road, and it was obvious it had to go, as it had become a safety hazard. Demolition occurred last week.

Now the site just needs to be cleared. But the history remains.

Bank on Huck and Yogi – O'Neil's Christmas Ad 1960

Back in November 1960, the Emmy-award-winning The Huckleberry Hound Show was in its third season, and the marketing push associated with the popular Hanna-Barbera program was in full swing. 

Above you see that locally, even O'Neil's was in on the cartoon act. The highlight of the Christmas-themed ad for the store were plastic 'Juvenile Bubble Bath' figures in the shape of Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear. As the ad (which ran in the Journal on November 30, 1960) notes, the non-breakable plastic containers "convert to coin bank when super bubbly, bath crystals are gone."

(Yogi would leave his buddy Huck and star in his own TV show a mere two months after the ad appeared).

It's not too surprising that O'Neil's carried the plastic banks/bubble baths, which were manufactured by Knickerbocker. The company had been very aggressive in coming up with different ways to market the Hanna-Barbera characters. The O'Neil buyer may even have seen the trade ad below.

And the Lorain Journal did its bit to drum up interest in the character banks. The item below ran in the paper on September 21, 1960.

The banks were as unbreakable as advertised. Today they are fairly ubiquitous on eBay.

Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear (two of my all-time favorite cartoon characters) have appeared on this blog several times, with three posts devoted to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts.

Passing Scenes – Oct. to Dec. 1974

When we last checked in with Gene Patrick's The Passing Scene, it had been revived in March of 1974 after being absent from the Journal for about five years. 

Back on this post, I featured the strips that ran during August and September 1974. To play catch-up and continue my quest of posting all available strips, here are the Passing Scenes that ran from October to December 1974 that were available online in the Journal archives.

Oct. 5, 1974

Oct. 12, 1974

Oct. 19, 1974

Oct. 26, 1974

Nov. 2, 1974

Nov. 9, 1974

Nov. 30, 1974

Dec. 7, 1974

Dec. 21, 1974

Dec. 28, 1974

I continue to marvel at Patrick's talent, and ability to wring a laugh out of the most staid news items.

Plans for Lorain Arena Take Shape – Dec. 1953

When the Coliseum on Route 6 west of Lorain burned down on the morning of May 5, 1952, the city lost both its largest roller rink and a popular dance spot. Fortunately, a pair of successful Lorain businessmen wasted little time in taking action to fill the need.

And seventy-one years ago this month, Robert Baetz, owner of Baetz Dairy and William Bauer, owner of the Park Restaurant, released the photo above of what the inside of their proposed Lorain Arena would look like. As the caption for the photo from the December 29, 1953 Lorain Journal explains, the building would be a combination auditorium, roller rink and sports arena. "The hangar type frame structure, 120 feet wide, 200 feet long, and 28 feet at its peak, will be located at the rear of the Baetz Dairy Bar, Stop 107, West Lake Road," noted the caption.

The Baetz Dairy Bar had been there since June 1949. Here's the Grand Opening ad.

An architectural rendering of the new Lorain Arena, then under construction, appeared in the Lorain Journal on November 18, 1954.

And the Lorain Arena officially opened on April 2, 1955.

I've had many posts about the Lorain Arena; some featuring the many popular musical acts that appeared there (such as Skeeter Bonn, B. B. King, and Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars); wrestling acts; auto shows; its name change to Big Moose Showcase; and its eventual closing.

I also did a four-part series (starting here) on the history of the Arena back in June 2010. Part 4 included my serendipitous look inside of the former Arena courtesy of realtor Bill Latrany, who was the listing agent for the property, which was for sale at that time.

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Here are some Lorain Arena ads from the late 1950s and early 60s that I haven't posted before.

March 8, 1957

August 15, 1958

Sept. 20, 1958

May 16, 1959

April 15, 1960

Carl Wayne, Lorain Ventriloquist – Nov. 25, 1953

Remember when the comic hijinks of ventriloquists and their dummies was a popular form of family entertainment? It seems that ventriloquists popped up regularly on TV in the 1950s and 60s. They're still around today (with Jeff Dunham as one of the modern talents keeping the craft alive) but just not as common.

If you're old enough, you might remember some of the famous teams: Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy (and Mortimer Snerd); Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney (and Knucklehead Smiff); Señor Wences (seen many times on The Ed Sullivan Show); Jimmy Nelson and Farful the Dog; Willie Tyler and Lester; and Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop.  

Locally, a gentleman named Frank Meluch of Lorain enjoyed a long career, that started back in the 1930s. He continued to perform with his dummy Jerry du Berry right into his golden years.

And above you see another local performer: Carl Wayne and his dummy Jerry Shane. The promotional photo announcing their upcoming appearance at the Mary Lee Tucker benefit show appeared in the Lorain Journal on November 25, 1953. 

As the caption notes, Carl Wayne "is a Lorain High School graduate who eyed a career as a professional ventriloquist and spent approximately eight years on the road, touring across the country on supper club and club dates.

"Wayne and his dummy, Jerry Shane, were on tour with Frances Langford two or three years ago.

"Wayne is considering going back on the road again this coming year with his act, possibly with a USO group to entertain servicemen."

You can see Jerry Shane in this photo montage from the Mary Lee Tucker benefit show that appeared in the Journal on Dec. 3, 1953.

The review of the show noted, "Carl Wayne, hometown ventriloquist who has more than eight years on the road as a professional, presented a new and novel act with his dummy, Jerry and another, Virginia. 

"For the head of the girl, Wayne used his right hand, applied make-up to it, then had the hand-dummy blow out a match and smoke a cigaret."

After his performance at the Mary Lee Tucker benefit show, Wayne made a few local appearances in early 1954.

I don't know if Carl Wayne hit the road again after that, or if he packed Jerry Shane away and moved on to another career opportunity.

But it's nice to know that for a little while at least, he achieved a modicum of success making people happy, doing something he loved.

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I mentioned Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop at the top of this post. I had the pleasure of seeing Mallory Lewis (daughter of Shari Lewis) perform with Lamb Chop at the 2009 Ohio State Fair.

Here is the link to her website, as well as a link to a great article about how she is keeping her mother's legacy alive.

Heimann's Barbecue Ad – Dec. 1, 1954

Who doesn't love barbecue?

According to research, more than 80% of the American public own their own barbecue grills or smokers. And barbecue chain restaurants like Famous Dave's and City Barbecue are enjoying greater popularity and success each year.

It seems like barbecue has always been popular in our area, judging by vintage ads in the Lorain Journal. Many local restaurants made it the main item on their menu, including the Pueblo, Vian's, the Charcoal Pit and The Pit.

And here's another barbecue restaurant that was right on US 6 on the east side of Lorain for many years: Heimann's Barbecue. Seventy years ago, it was celebrating the Grand Opening of its newly enlarged and redecorated restaurant. Above is the full-page ad that ran in the Lorain Journal on Dec. 1, 1954.

How long had it been there? An article that ran in the Lorain Journal on June 21, 1955 provides some history. "When Heimann's Barbecue, Inc., was founded by William C. (Bud) Heimann almost 29 years ago at 402-406 East Erie," it notes, "it featured ice cream and sandwiches and had only eight seats.

"Today it is one of the most modern and best equipped restaurants in northern Ohio, has a large counter service and seating for 166 in the air conditioned dining room and private dining den.

"The barbecue now has a catering service available throughout the county, serves everything from sandwiches to full course dinners and still features homemade ice cream.

"Heimann purchased the store from Charles James in November, 1926. It had previously been owned by Mrs. Ida Stark and was operated first as a shoe store and later as an ice cream store.

"Heimann has a large staff of workers and is assisted in the management by his wife, Loretta."

As the article noted, Heimann bought the business in 1926. This ad from the July 2, 1925 Lorain Journal may be the one that caught his eye and gave him the idea of owning his own business.

And here is a sampling of ads through the years. As you can see, World War II affected the business, which reverted temporarily back to its roots.

Dec. 24, 1938

Aug. 24, 1942

Aug. 15, 1949

In the early 1950s, Heimann's offered one of the first frozen TV dinners – the "Frigidinner." According to History.com, it was entrepreneur Jack Fisher who came up with the idea of placing pre-frozen meals in aluminum trays and marketing them exclusively to bars and taverns who could then feed their customers without having to hire a cook. The businesses (such as Heimann's) could also sell them to their patrons to take home.

March 29, 1952

July 18, 1953

But of course, barbecue was still the mainstay of the menu.

Sept. 13, 1952

July 21, 1955

William Heimann passed away in early July 1969. The barbecue business continued into the early 1970s, but apparently came to a close with a huge auction held in the parking lot of the restaurant in September 1974. Mrs. Heimann passed away in late March 1992.

And what became of the building? It continued its legacy of being a place where people could enjoy fine food. In 1975, it became the home of the well-remembered Lannie's Chinese Restaurant.

July 20, 1975 Journal article