99K

• Lorain County Fairgrounds The annual Lorain County Fair was held in Elyria along the west branch of the Black River off 3rd Street from 1867 to 1940.  The racetrack was used for both horse and bicycle racing.  This 24-acre site, presently Riverview Mobile Home Park, is one of the proposed sites for a new Elyria High School.

Old County Jail • A landmark building in downtown Elyria, the Lorain County Jail dominated the corner of Middle Avenue and Third Street from 1893 to 1980.  Prisoners stared from behind bars as law-abiding citizens shopped, banked, or strolled freely by.  Buildings of St. Mary's Catholic Church can be seen nearby.

99K

91K

• East Falls Dam Viewed from the Washington Avenue bridge about 1912, buildings of the Parsch Planing Mill and the Elyria Milling Company crowd together above the dam at East Falls.  The buildings were cleared when the elevated tracks were built through town.

The Garford Company • Arthur L. Garford built this automobile factory on Clark Street in 1905 to manufacture his custom-built Garford autos.  Seven years later, with increasing pressure from Ford's Model T, Garford sold his plant to an assembly-line auto manufacturer.  The building is now home to the Ridge Tool Company.

92K

120K

• McKinley School Situated on East River Road near Elyria Memorial Hospital, McKinley Elementary opened its doors in 1908.  It is the oldest elementary school still in continuous use in Elyria.  The dip between the road and the school is evidence of an old brick works which took clay from the site years before the hospital and school were built.

Elyria Elks Lodge • B.P.O.E Lodge No. 465 dates back to 1911. The second floor originally housed a magnificent ballroom which has since been converted to bowling alleys.  Located at 246 Second Street, the lodge still features a popular restaurant open for lunches and Friday dinners.

109K

101K

• St. Mary's Church Elyria's first Catholic church dates to 1845 and was located on the diagonal corner from its present site.  The current Middle Avenue and Fourth Street location is shown in this pre-1920 view, complete with towering steeple, church school, and convent.  The old jail lies just north (left) of the church.

Elyria Y.W.C.A. • In 1913 the Elyria YWCA purchased the former Miller property, a beautiful Tudor mansion on West Avenue, as its residence hall.  The "Old Barn" behind the house was used for meetings and dances until it was replaced by Holly Hall in 1952.

122K

126K

• NYC Train Depot The New York Central train depot stands on the north-east corner of East Avenue and Depot Street.  It opened in 1925, when 10 eastbound and 14 westbound trains stopped in Elyria every day!  Hopes are to use the now-vacant building as a station for Amtrak, bus, and taxi service.  (That's the old Colson Corp. in the distance.)

Town Square • A rooftop view of Ely Park and the former Elyria Savings & Trust Bank building, circa 1930.  In this view, overhead lines for the electric trolley (interurban) which once ran down Broad Street have been removed, and the horse watering pumps of earlier days have been replaced with public drinking fountains.

134K

100K

• Court Street Town Hall, the Turner Block, and the Andwur Hotel - a busy spot for more than a hundred years.  Built during the Civil War, the Town Hall has also housed a streetcar ticketing office and a fine opera house.  The Andwur was razed in 1922 when the EST (First Merit) bank tower was built.

The Old "Swing Bridge" • This awesome footbridge once dangled above the Black River near the junction of its two branches, shown here at flood stage.  The heavy iron anchors which once supported the bridge can still be seen today, sunken deep into the underlying sandstone at either end.

125K

107K

• Broad Street circa 1920 Businesses on the north side of Broad, featuring the beautiful National City Bank building.  The big "Elyria the 100% City" sign was erected in 1914 at the height of a national "city slogan" craze.

Elyria High School • Elyria High School was the first chartered high school west of the Allegheny Mountains, and therefore in Ohio.  A later addition, the imposing Washington Building shown here was made from sandstone quarried in Elyria in 1894.  The building has been in continuous use since its construction.

122K

113K

• Colonial Apartments Built in the early 1900's, the Colonial Apartments are still among the most prestigious in the city.  The well-maintained complex, featuring huge pillars and comfortable balconies, overlooks Middle Avenue near the heart of town.

Colson Corporation, Winter • Over the years Colson employed hundreds of Elyrians in the manufacture of bicycles and wheelchairs.  In the 1950's part of its operations were spun off to become Invacare, an international company based here in Elyria.

114K

116K

• Washington Avenue Bridge A view looking west toward the old Red Mill, the dam, and East Falls.  Built in 1904, this beautiful bridge washed out nine years later during a Spring flood.

Elyria Memorial Hospital • A number of young people died in a 1907 Elyria street car accident because there was no hospital to give aid.  Edgar F. Allen, who lost a son in the accident, devoted all his energies to building Elyria Memorial Hospital.  Now but a fraction of the EMH complex, this building still stands, with its columns removed and almost hidden behind a new Emergency Room.

107K

117K

• Middle Avenue Elyria's first office tower, known for years as the Lorain County Bank building, was built in 1916 as the National Bank of Elyria.  It is presently home to Lorain National Bank.  Note the old Baptist church further down the street and the big molar-shaped dentist sign near the bank!

Broad Street By Night • Broad Street in the mid- to late-1940's.  Parking spaces are probably taken by movie-goers: note the Capitol Theater marquee between the 3rd and 4th lamp post on the left.  A dramatic postcard that gives the romantic "feel" of old-time Elyria on a summer night.

85K

95K

• Pool In Cascade Park For many years Elyria's only public outdoor swimming pool was the Kiwanis Pool in Cascade Park.  The "deep end", in the middle of the pool, was later marked off with a chain link fence.  The pool was heavily damaged during the July 4 flood of 1969, but opened again the following season.  After several modern pools were built around town, it was closed in 1986.

Old Post Office • The old Elyria Post Office on the NE corner of East Avenue and Broad Street is shown here shortly after its grand opening in May of 1918.  Postal distribution eventually shifted from rail service to trucking, and a new Post Office was built on East Bridge Street.  This building closed in 1981.

99K

108K

• Fountain On The Square There have been several different fountains in Elyria's town square over the years.  This fountain from the 1930's was one of the first "electric" fountains in the country.  Its nightly illumination was said to attract "untold thousands of tourists".

Lorain County Courthouse • The massive Court House, built around 1834, is located on the town square, overlooking the park and fountain.  It's spectacular tower and cupola have since been removed, but the building remains in active use.

94K

86K

• East Falls, Winter Scene A wonderful winter shot of the less-photographed falls, taken some time before the Spring flood of 1913 washed out the Washington Avenue bridge in the background.  The building at the base of the falls served as a power plant in the early 1920's.  Ruins of this structure are still visible today.

West Falls by Moonlight • A romantic, hand-tinted photo of the falls on the west branch of the Black River.  This "night shot" was taken from the confluence of the two branches in what is now Cascade Park.  The magnificent stone bridge of Lodi Street, now Lake Avenue, was built in 1894 and still stands today.  Look closely and you'll notice a horse-drawn carriage up on the bridge!

91K

129K

• Elyria Y.M.C.A. Another grand building from Elyria's past, "The YM" was demolished in the mid-90's.  It was located at Third and Court Streets, and was nearly new when this shot was taken in late 1913.  Several generations of Elyria children learned to swim at the pool in this building.  This site is the proposed location for a new Lorain County Justice Center.  The new YMCA is located on Washington Avenue.

First Congregational Church • One of Elyria's many beautiful old churches, "First Cong" is located on the town square.  Built in 1898, the ivy was removed as part of remodeling efforts in the 1980's, but it retains the massive sandstone entrance, beautiful Tiffany stained-glass windows, and an imposing bell tower.

102K

Hope you enjoyed the collection!

We think Elyria should have its own postcards once again!  If you agree, send an email to Mayor Bill Grace's office and let him know!

---

LOOK FOR THE BOOK! Elyria In Vintage Postcards Published July 2004 Through vintage postcards, tour Elyria in the early to mid-20th century and see how she portrayed herself to the world! The book contains over 200 postcard images covering 1905 to 1965. Explanatory captions provide rich descriptive detail and interesting historical facts.  A great gift for out-of-town friends and family!   Click here for details

---

© Copyright 1998-2002, Ben Mancine

	"Greetings From Elyria, Ohio" Main Page LANDMARKS, FACTOIDS, POSTCARDS, HISTORY