Historic Lake Erie: Peek into Lorain's Past

As the 20th century dawned, the city of Lorain had become a major industrial center. A steel mill that eventually became part of U.S. Steel was built in 1895, and the Cleveland Shipping Co. built a new shipyard on the bank of Lake Erie two years later.

As immigrants of various ethnicities moved to the city — giving Lorain the nickname “The International City” — the population exploded, from 4,863 in 1890 to 28,883 just 20 years later. Streets were paved. Schools were built. And recreational opportunities were sought.

One such opportunity could be found at the bottom of Oberlin Avenue. Municipal Beach became a recreation destination for the city. The local semipro football team, the Lorain Strollers, practiced there in the summer. It was a battleground for how revealing ladies’ swimsuits could be. (“The costumes were — er — ah — a bit abbreviated,” municipal safety director Frank Klady told a local newspaper in 1922. “They could stand a little more material.”)

And there were even thoughts of turning it into a winter resort once a new power plant came online in 1919, dumping 7.3 million gallons of hot water into the lake every day. But there were concerns about the beach’s proximity to the city’s sewage treatment plant, and that led to alternate plans for Lorain’s lakefront.

The city bought 42 acres along West Erie Avenue. The land became the site of Lakeview Park, and a new bathhouse was built in 1920 — and then rebuilt following the 1924 tornado (which struck the municipal beach as well). In the 1930s, Lakeview Park added a fountain, a rose garden and an Easter basket that’s become a background for generations of photos.

While Lakeview Park does not have a slide in the water, it does have a historic rose garden and waterfront café — and the park remains an important part of the Lorain County Metro Parks to this day.