Ed Blahay Transportation Company

Aerial View of the Blahay Transportation Company Property Circa Mid-1950s
(Courtesy Lorain Historical Society)

Although you would never know it by looking at it today, the property nestled between Garwell's and Skate World today was quite a beehive of activity during the 1940s, 50s and early 60s.

It was home to a trucking company – Ed Blahay Transportation Company – and was a truck stop as well, providing lodging (cabins and later, a motel) and a restaurant.

Ed Blahay began his roadside business as operator of a service station on West Erie. He founded the transportation company bearing his name in the late 1920s (according to his obituary).

As you can see by the 1954 Lorain Telephone Directory ad at left, his trucks hauled freight all over Ohio. The company was also a freight carrier for U. S. Steel.

Ed Blahay's health suffered a downward turn in the early 1960s. His grandson Richard Olson successfully ran the company during his illness. 

The company moved out to 2147 E. 28th Street in South Lorain in the early to mid-1960s. The business was sold in 1970, and Ed Blahay passed away in February 1972.

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Looking at the vintage photo at the top of this post, you might recognize the former Tiffany's Steakhouse restaurant building in the center of the photo. You can see the two huge doors that are covered up today.

Ed's Place motel is the long building at the western edge of the property in the photo. It was referred to as cabins in an early directory. (I'll have more to say about Ed's Place – and Benny's Restaurant, forerunner of Tiffany's Steakhouse – in a later post.)

In addition to the trucking company, motel and restaurant, the Blahay property on West Erie was also home to a handful of residents, according to the 1948 Lorain County Directory. You can see some long-gone houses close to the railroad tracks in the vintage photo.

Here's an aerial view of the property today, courtesy of Bing Maps. It's hard to believe that there were once many more buildings on the site than the sad, empty restaurant that sits there today.

That's Skate World to the left of the former Tiffany's, 
and the former Garwell's (with the blue buildings in the rear) on the right

Peggy Gillmore House – Then and Now

Courtesy Loraine Ritchey

Along with a small group of local history lovers, bloggers and residents of Charleston Village, a few weeks ago I was privileged to take part in a review of some of the late Peggy Gillmore's personal collection of historical documents and memorabilia.

Loraine Ritchey had kindly extended the invitation to me, and it was an interesting night examining many of Peggy's vintage documents, maps, photos, and articles not only about her famous family but her hometown as well. (Loraine wrote about this event here on her blog.)

Of particular interest to me was the vintage shot of the Gillmore residence on Oberlin Avenue at Fourth Street, since I love shooting "then and nows." On Sunday I happened to be going right by it when the sun was right, so I was able to get my shot.

Out and About in Lorain on a Sunday Afternoon

On Sunday I was out and about (pronounced oot and aboot if you're Canadian) for a little while with my camera, taking note of some of the changes taking place on Lorain's West Side.

First up are the changes taking place at Lorain's iconic Castle restaurant. Until recently it has been operating as the popular El Arriero Mexican Restaurant. According to the brand new attractive sign, as of May 1, it is now Castillo Mexicano Mexican Restaurant and under new ownership.

I love that the new name and sign reflect the building's heritage. Here's wishing the new owners much success!

Just across the street and slightly to the east, the restaurant known as Beachcliff Diner – you know, the old Manners Big Boy with the sign that has said Pete's Family Restaurant for years – finally has a sign that says Beachcliff Diner!

It's a very nice sign and even has a little graphic of Lorain's Lighthouse on it.

Over on Oberlin Avenue, it looks like the old Muzik's Auto Care building will be a steaming pile of rubble very soon.

I understand that the well-remembered Muzik Brothers sign will be making the move to the company's new 704 West Erie Avenue location. Here's the link to the company's Facebook page.

It's good to see all of these family businesses making a commitment to the city that so many of us know as our hometown. Here's hoping that they all continue to enjoy great success.

Meet the Tiny Gas Flame – 1947

Longtime readers of my blog might recognize the above advertising mascot for the Ohio Fuel Gas Company. Waaaay back here and here, I posted some 1950s ads featuring the friendly flame.

At the time, I asked if anyone knew his name. Unlike his electrical rivals Reddy Kilowatt and Willie Wired Hand, this poor guy must have had a terrible agent, because his name was never featured in his ads. He simply did his solo act in the Ohio Fuel Gas Company ads throughout the 1950s before apparently "flaming out."

Anyway – although it took me a mere three years – I finally found an early ad (below) that gives the flame a name. It ran in the Lorain Sunday News on May 11, 1947 – 67 years ago this month.

Apparently he goes by the name, "the Tiny Gas Flame." And in this ad (which may very well be his first appearance), he has some lookalike brothers.

It's not that surprising that his appearance would eventually change. The artist who gave him his distinctive look must have realized that it was rather limiting having him go around with no clothes, and with his arms and legs sprouting out of his plump body. Plus, he looks a little too mischievous, like he's having fun running around loose.

So the flame was given the corporate makeover shown at the top of this post.

I still don't know what he's holding, though.

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UPDATE (10-7-2014)

Hey, I was wrong! His name isn't the Tiny Gas Flame! It's something else! Click here for the story.

O'Neil Shopping Center Opens – 60 Years Ago Today

Here's a full-page of news items from the April 30, 1954 Lorain Journal about the impending opening of the O'Neil-Sheffield Shopping Center the following day – May 1, 1954 – 60 years ago today. (Click on it for a larger view.)

The page of articles is a real snapshot of the hoopla and excitement surrounding the opening.

The various executives behind the planning, construction and management of the new O'Neil's store are profiled. The stores (totaling 50 in all), as well as the various national product brands are listed, promising spectacular choices in shopping. A history of O'Neil's, including its growth from a single store in Akron to becoming a regional giant is provided. Even the benefit plan covering the employees of the O'Neil-Sheffield store is described.

Reading some of the articles today stirs mixed feelings. Back then, with a booming postwar economy and a strong local middle class, Lorain County was a desirable location for a major shopping center.

The shopping center would spell D-O-O-M for Downtown Lorain, which would never recover. And the shopping center itself would eventually get wiped out by Midway Mall.

(The shopping center has been a favorite topic here on the blog, with a variety of posts over the last five years.)

Nevertheless, memories of the shopping center in its heyday will never fade away in the minds of local Baby Boomers.

Tiffany's Steakhouse

Just a little to the east of Skate World is this building at 4876 West Erie. I vaguely remembered a restaurant being in there decades ago.

It was the home to Tiffany's Steakhouse from around 1973 until 1982 or so. The restaurant was one of two locations, the other being in Elyria.

Here's an early ad (below) for the pair of restaurants that ran in the 1973 Lorain Telephone Book. The identical ad ran in the Elyria phone book.

Although the Lorain restaurant disappeared from the phone book and directory in the early 1980s, the Elyria location apparently thrived, lasting into the 1990s. It too was absent from the phone book by 1996.

I never had the chance to eat at either Tiffany's location, which is too bad.

I think the place was ahead of its time. It looks like its steakhouse theme would really be a winner now, with manly meat fare and old school cocktails regaining popularity.

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I think this same building – with a 4900 West Erie Avenue address – was one of the homes of Ed Blahay Transportation Company, and later, Benny's Restaurant. I'm going to have to do some more research and confirm it, and then prepare a proper post in the future if that's the case.

Green Lantern Camp – Part 2

As I mentioned before, none of the regular city directories before or after 1939 had a listing for Green Lantern Camp – making it virtually impossible to research.

However, the 1954 Lorain County Farm & Rural Directory did include a listing (below) for W. F. Brenner, the man associated with Green Lantern Camp fourteen years earlier. The camp was no longer listed.

The 1962 Dickman Criss-Cross Directory for Lorain County also included a listing for W. F. Brenner. In this directory, he finally had an address: 5004 West Erie Avenue.

The Lorain County Auditor website parcel result for 5004 West Erie includes both a duplex as well as a small cottage. (Both structures have a "year built" date of 1900 – meaning that they were built before 1900.)

Here's my shot from last weekend (below). The yellow cottage on the left (referred to on the Auditor website as a "rebuilt cottage") has its own address: 5014. The other buildings are all part of 5004.

I have no idea if any of the buildings in the "now" photo match up with those in the vintage photo of Green Lantern Camp. I think the location is correct due to the fact that the Brenners lived there. I also think that the location of the telephone poles and the railroad tracks support this theory. But it's impossible to know for sure.

Here's a few aerial views of the property (below).

I'm guessing that the very small shack behind the cottages – seen as a brown building with tan roof – may be one of the original cabins. 

But I could be wrong.

UPDATE

And I was wrong! Click here for an update showing how wrong I was.