There’s a new historical marker in Downtown Elyria, but it’s nothing like the traditional markers seen across Ohio.
The first installation of what’s dubbed Historical Looking Glasses is set for unveiling Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the corner of Second Street and Middle Avenue.
The project is a collaboration between Elyria Community Partnership and the Lorain County Historical Society and is designed to provide a literal window to the past along the city’s streetscape.
Within a nine-foot aluminum frame, a historic image of a building or city scene is printed on plexiglass, revealing what once was there. Stand at a certain point behind the frame and the image from the past becomes an overlay to the present view.
“So often, it can feel like history is just tucked away in a book or in a museum exhibit that you can't really experience,” said Kerri Broome, executive director of the Lorain County Historical Society. “By putting Elyria's history right on the sidewalks Downtown, people can literally see the layers of the past and understand how our community has grown and changed over time.”
At the southeast corner of Ely Square, the first Historical Looking Glass is positioned with a vacant bank building behind it. The overlay image on the plexiglass is of First Baptist Church, which once stood on the same corner from 1883 until it was demolished around 1950.
The plan is to add four more Historical Looking Glasses around the Downtown area with a guided walking tour in the future as they seek more funding and partners.
The installation of the First Baptist Church marker was partially funded by the Ohio commission of America 250, the nationwide initiative to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year.
“One of the big areas of focus is lifting up local history – the stories that show how individual communities have contributed to that broader American story,” Broome said. “We think the Looking Glass project is a perfect example of that.”
Planning the project
Around 2018, the arts scene in Elyria was beginning to pick up, Broome said, and people were wanting to see more happening in the Downtown area. But not all changes were positive.
“We had experienced a devastating fire that destroyed a couple of our buildings, and then we had a number of demolitions that were happening,” Broome said. “I remember having discussions … about these things that we weren’t really happy about, but we weren't quite sure how to channel our energy.”
Steven Rice, an Amherst native working at a former arts venue in Elyria at the time, had the same thought. Planning soon got underway for the project, which helps visually preserve buildings and other architectural elements from the city’s past.
Rice, now the communications manager for the Oberlin Heritage Center, worked with Broome and the historical society as a consultant to help plan and design the Looking Glasses. Early steps were identifying possible locations, then combing through thousands of archival images.
“I would take the photos, scan them and print them, and then I’d walk around and figure out where they were taken by looking at the perspective changes in buildings and what was still there,” Rice said. “I’m a photographer, and I particularly like architectural photography, so I have a pretty good sense of what is needed in order to make sure the perspective works correctly.”
Eight locations in total have been researched and scouted, Rice said.
“We have currently five frames, including the one that's already been installed,” he said. “But if there is a need for more, we're ready to do more.”
Moving forward
When the Elyria Community Partnership was formed in 2021, the top priority was to build interest and excitement around the Downtown area while also honoring its history.
“There's been a lot of staleness here. There's been a lot of frustration here,” said Mone’t Roberts, ECP’s executive director since 2023. “And that's not just Elyria, there are a lot of communities that are struggling. Their downtowns are looking to be rebuilt and they're rebranding.”
Other communities have already reached out with interest in replicating the Looking Glasses, Roberts said.
In addition, vibrant murals and public art have popped up around town along with a full slate of arts festivals and community celebrations, which Roberts said indicates momentum for what’s on the horizon.
“Elyria is in that fresh era where things are truly coming up from the concrete, coming from the ground and blossoming,” she said. “This is just a sign that growth is happening and that we're in the process of something new and great.”
