"Under Construction"

The Sandusky Library Archives Research Center has several photographs of businesses under construction in its collections. The image above shows the Sandusky Masonic Temple under contruction. The view is from the cornerstone-laying ceremony on June 24, 1889.

Below is a picture of St. Mary’s Catholic Church under construction in the 1870s. A worker is visible at the top of the building, while two adults and several young people are seen at the front of the church.

In the 1890s, this house was being built on Columbus Avenue for Sandusky businessman R.M. Wilcox. 

In the picture below, two men appear to be attaching slats to the frame of a Lyman boat at the Lyman Boat Works in 1938.

Helen Hansen took this photograph of the Citizens Banking Company, now Civista Bank, under construction in 1985 at the southwest corner of Water and Wayne Streets in Sandusky.

If you are interested in the historic buildings in Sandusky, Ohio, see Ellie Damm’s book Treasure by the Bay (Bucknell University Press, 1998) at the Sandusky Library. In this book Mrs. Damm points out that many of Sandusky’s early commercial buildings were built from native limestone, demonstrating the thrift and practicality of the early residents of Sandusky.

Dedication of the Erie County Services Center

On Sunday, May 2, 1982, the Erie County Services Center at 2902 South Columbus Avenue was dedicated, in the former Erie County Home.

The cover of the booklet states that the Erie County Services Center was dedicated to the Boards of Erie County Commissioners who first built this sturdy structure in 1886 and who remodeled it into a valuable office building for use from 1982 forward; and to the memory of those persons who made it their home during the period from 1886 until 1976; and to the residents of Erie County for their continued use as a public building housing public offices from this day forward.

A brief history of the building was included in the dedication program.

The names of Erie County Commissioners, architects, engineers, and contractors associated with the remodeling of the Erie County Services Center appeared on the back of the dedication program.

The Erie County Services Center has been a part of Erie County history for over one hundred thirty years, and has served a wide variety of purposes in its long years of existence. To learn more about the history of Sandusky and Erie County, visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Samuel Facer, Original Owner of the Building at 279 East Market Street

The building at 279 East Market Street, now home to Mabel and Ethel’s Quilt Shop, was built by Samuel Facer in 1883-1884. Facer had several business ventures in Sandusky, including a blacksmith shop and a hack and omnibus business. After he sold his hack business to the Goosman family, Mr. Facer carried mail for the U.S. Post Office, before the Post Office owned their own vehicles. In the 1880s, he leased the space on the street level of the building at the northwest corner of Market and Hancock Streets for a store, and he and his wife lived upstairs. 

Ellie Damm wrote in her book Treasure by the Bay that the building was built in the Italianate style, with an intricate system of cast iron columns and sandstone beams. On the east side of the building is a cast iron balcony.

Facer’s former store building has been named to the National Register of Historic Places.

A wide variety of businesses and organizations have been in operation at 279 East Market Street through the years, including grocery stores, a bicycle shop, a pool hall, dry cleaners, and an antique store. In the 1980s, Grace Church had their thrift shop at this location, and for a time the Maritime Museum was here. 

In 1892 Samuel Facer worked to protect land along the waterfront, and Facer Park was created.  In 2007 the “Path to Freedom” sculpture was dedicated in Facer Park.

A portrait of Samuel Facer is on display at the Follett House Museum.

The Mad River Block

The building at 1002-1018 West Adams Street consists of nine separate residential units. It was built in the mid-nineteenth century to provide housing for employees of the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. You can this structure on the 1886 Sanborn Map:

Each rectangle represents a dwelling, which all share a common roof. The building was constructed of  brick, upon a stone foundation. There are stone lintels above each door and along the top and bottom of the windows.

Parapet walls are located at each end of the unit.

Prior to 1915, the addresses of the rowhouses went from 1202 to 1208 Adams Street. After 1915 the street numbers changed to 1002 to 1018 West Adams Street. The Mad River Block was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.  

Having the railroad run through Sandusky was very beneficial to the local economy. Goods could be shipped in and out of the area, travel was made easier, and hundreds  individuals found employment as mechanics, painters, engineers, conductors, and ticket agents. Paul Laning wrote a  history of steam railroads in Erie County in the Twin Anniversary Edition of the Sandusky Register Star News on November 24, 1947. This special edition newspaper is in the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center both on microfilm, and in a bound copy.

Like the person in the song “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad,” some of your ancestors may have been working on the railroad, too.

MacArthur Park and Fairlawn Court

In the collections of historical pictures from Sandusky and Erie County housed at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center are three photographs from MacArthur Park and Fairlawn Court, which began as federal housing projects during World War II.  The pictures were taken in 1955. The license plate of the car pictured above began with the letters YC. (Many local residents of a certain age will recall the popular YC and YE letter combinations used for autombile license plates in the 1950s and 1960s.) 

As World War II approached, the U.S. Government purchased land in Perkins Township for the construction of a munitions factory. The Trojan Powder Company operated at the Plum Brook Ordnance Works throughout the war, and provided jobs for hundreds of individuals. Sandusky faced a housing shortage as workers poured in to Erie County to supply manpower for the defense industry. MacArthur Park, located at the former site of the Erie County fairgrounds, at Camp Street and Perkins Avenue, was built to help curb the housing shortage. A local contest was held to select a name for the housing development, with Mrs. Bernice Jameson selected for her entry: “General Douglas MacArthur is the hero of the hour, and it seems appropriate to name a defense housing development in his honor as his name and accomplishments will be tomorrow’s history.” 

The Sandusky Register  featured two pages to celebrate the dedication of MacArthur Park on November 11, 1943.

The Trojan Powder Company ran this advertisement, which praised the community as well as the defense workers.

The Rev. J.A. Griffith gave the invocation at the dedication.  Public Housing officials gave remarks, as did Mayor George A. Apel. Musical selections were provided by Sandusky High School.

In 1943 another federal housing project, Fairlawn Court, was built to provide housing for African American residents of the south end of the city of Sandusky.  

Fairlawn Court had 104 family units on Buchanan Street between Carr and Shelby Streets. The development was listed as Fairlawn Park Apartments on this 1955 Sanborn Map.

Many Sandusky couples and families had their first home in MacArthur Park or Fairlawn Court, and then moved to larger accommodations as their families grew, or their economic circumstances changed. 

Commercial Building at the Northeast Corner of Jackson and West Water Streets

The three story brick building at the northeast corner of Jackson and West Water Streets in downtown Sandusky was built about 1870, and has been a key commercial property in Sandusky for more than a century. For several years, Freeland T. Barney and Benjamin F. Ferris operated a hardware store at this location.

After Mr. Barney died in 1875, his widow, Mary Barney took over the business, with the help of a bookkeeper named Pierre VanAlstyne. Mr. VanAlstyne took over the business after the death of Mrs. Barney in 1881. 

The building underwent a major renovation in 1892, including the addition of a Romanesque Revival facade. Arches adorn the windows of upper levels of the building, and decorative brackets trim the upper most portion of the building.  The hardware store that had started as Barney and Ferris eventually became the Donahue Hardware Store. Below is a picture of the Donahue Hardware Store about 1900. In the early twentieth century, the Donahue Hardware Store occupied 735-737-739 Water Street. 

By 1915, the Donahues had moved the hardware store to Market Street, and Schnaitter and Bechberger Plumbing and Heating took over the location of the former Donahue Hardware, which was now known as 231-233 West Water Street.  Bender & Woodward Wholesale Grocers had temporary quarters at 225-229 West Water Street at that time.  In 1932, the Elks Hall was on the upper floor of 231 West Water Street. Later businesses in the large block from 225-233 West Water Street were Hessler Plumbing and Heating, Trophy Specialists, the Yankee Clipper barber shop, an art gallery and the Sandusky Athletic Club. To learn the exact years and names of businesses at this location in downtown Sandusky, see the historical Sandusky City Directories housed in the lower level of the Sandusky Library. 

The large 20 Mule Team Borax advertisement below was painted on the former Barney & Ferris building at the time of the 1913 Perry Centennial Celebration in Sandusky.

The side of the building which faces to the west is likely where the old Borax ad was painted.

More details about the businesses that have been located on West Water Street are found in an article by Helen Hansen and Virginia Steinemann in the January 19, 1992 issue of the Sandusky Register, now available on microfilm at the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

Willdred Apartments

The Willdred Apartments were constructed in 1906-1907, in the classical revival style of architecture. The Willdred Apartment building can be seen below in a Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, on Columbus Avenue, between Scott and Finch Streets.

The front steps lead up to an entrance porch. On either side of the porch are two columns which support balconies on the upper two levels of the building. Several sets of triple windows on three sides of the Willdred Apartments allow for plenty of natural light.

H. Roger Grant wrote in his book Getting Around: Exploring Transportation History (Krieger Pub. Co., 2003), that the three story apartment building was conveniently located near the lines of the Lake Shore Electric Railway. Anyone who resided at the Willdred could travel in and out of Sandusky easily on the interurban. An advertisement in the May 12, 1928 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal listed the rent at the Willdred at $25.00 per month. This included five rooms and a bathroom, which was “modern with furnace.”  Local newspapers frequently mentioned the Willdred Apartments, sometimes known as the Willdred Flats, in the society pages. In January of 1908, the Art Study Club held its first meeting of the year at the apartment of Mrs. E.W. Altstaetter in the Willdred. In 1920, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs Jay Cohn held a Japanese lawn party at the Willdred. Japanese lanterns decorated the lawn as several young people enjoyed the latest dance steps. On March 11, 1993, the Willdred Apartment building was named to the National Register of Historic Places. 

Flatiron Building at the Corner of Elm, Hancock and Monroe Streets

Known as a flatiron building, because of its unique shape that is similar to a flat clothes iron, this limestone building was constructed by the Kuebeler and Stang families in 1909. It sits on a triangular lot at the intersection of Elm, Hancock and Monroe Streets. You can see the shape of the lot in an early twentieth century Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.

The side of the building that faces Monroe Street features a rising sun on the pediment of the building.

Decorative stone is found along the top of the side of the building that faces Hancock Street. If you look closely at the second floor windows, you can still see signs from the dance studio which once occupied the top floor.

Commonly known as the Kuebeler Block, this building was built for businesses to occupy the street level, and a social hall on the upper level. Several business on Hancock Street comprised a small business district that served Sandusky’s residents on the near east side. In 1916,  the Spiegel Brothers had a barber shop on the lower level, next to Robert Fingerhut’s merchant tailor shop. The “Social Seven Hall” occupied the upper floor of the Kuebeler block at this time. Gilcher and Wallen once ran a hat shop at this location.

In 1948, Kay Lutes opened a dance studio in the Kuebeler Block’s upper level. In the 1980s and 1990s,  Barb’s Dance was also at this location. In 2016, this property has a consignment shop on the street level.  “If those walls could talk,” they could tell many stories about this historic Sandusky building.

The Lea Block, on Market Street

Located at the southwest corner of Market and Wayne Streets in Sandusky, Ohio, the Lea Block was built in 1895, at what is now 174 to 186 East Market Street.  It was named for its first owner, James D. Lea, a prominent Sandusky business man. The three story brick structure was built in the Second Romanesque Revival style of architecture, and features rounded windows and corbeled brick trim.

There is ornamentation both above and below the fire escape on the side of the building that faces Wayne Street.

The first floor of the Lea Block has been home to number of different businesses through the years. In the early 1900s, the top floor was used as an Armory. Mr. F.X. Rinderle operated his tailoring shop in the ground floor in 1900. (Note: Before the street numbers changed in 1915, the Lea Block was in the 600 block of Market Street.)

From about 1917 to 1919, the Wendt Economy Grocery was in business in the Lea Block.

Wrestling matches were held on the upper level of the building in the early 1920s. In 1928 the Lea Block was purchased by the Knight of Pythias, for use by the lodge for meetings, dances and parties. In 1936 the Knights of Pythias occupied the third floor; the second floor was home to the Oheb Shalom Jewish congregation and the Progressive Spiritual Church; and on the first floor were a music teacher, dental office, insurance agent, and two dress makers. In more recent years, the ground level of the building has been occupied by jewelry and floral shops, a finance company, a novelty business, home decorating store, and even a metaphysical shop. 

Read Ellie Damm’s book, Treasure by the Bay, available at Sandusky Library, to learn more about the historic architecture of Sandusky, Ohio.

Double Stone House on West Market Street

According to the book, At Home in Early Sandusky, by Helen Hansen, this double stone house, which no longer stands, was built at what is now the 400 block of West Market Street by Leonard B. Johnson (of Johnson's Island) in 1846. William A. Simpson bought the property in 1848. In 1866, Rev. J. George Lehrer owned the west half of the house, and Julius Robrahn owned the right side. Until 1960, this property had several different residents. In the 1920 U.S. Census, sisters Mary and Amelia Maul lived in one half of the house, where they both worked as dressmakers. 

In 1960 the double stone house was razed, for use as a parking lot. This link to Google Maps shows what the space looked like in the fall of 2013. See At Home in Early Sandusky to learn more about houses in Sandusky, some still standing. This book is available at the Sandusky Library in the Reference Services area of the Sandusky Library, or you may buy it for $1.00 at the check-out desk at the library. 

Stereographic Cards from the American Views Series

Nicholas H. Hammond was the proprietor of the Great Bazar, a large dry goods store in business in downtown Sandusky from the 1880s through the early 1900s. As a side business, Mr. Hammond also created stereographic views of downtown Sandusky. These stereographic cards are all from the American Views series. 

Now known as St. Mary’s Catholic Church, this church was known as the German Catholic Church in the 1880s. Note the cigar stand next door.

Here is a view of Sandusky’s bustling waterfront in the nineteenth century:

You can see the steeple of Emmanuel Church in this stereographic image of the Erie County Courthouse.

Sandusky High School was constructed in 1867, and about ninety years later became Adams Junior High School. Grace Church is at the left of the image.

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to learn more about the history of Sandusky and Erie County, Ohio.