Lakeview Park

1800 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, OH 44052

Lorain County Metro Parks’ first lakeside recreational park, Lakeview Park, offers 20 acres along the north side of West Erie Avenue in Lorain, Ohio. This nearby neighborhood park, known for its Historical Rose Garden, spectacular sunsets and views of the Lorain Lighthouse, hosts a variety of recreational opportunities awaiting visitors of all ages, from swimming and sunbathing, to lawn bowling, beach volleyball, picnicking and much more!

HIGHLIGHTS

The Day Use Area Bathhouse

Through the years, Lakeview Park has had several bathhouses. Many memories were created in each of those buildings, so we invited the citizens of Lorain and Lorain County to help us decide the design of current Bathhouse. The design of the historical 1920’s building became the Bathhouse that you see today, with a few modern improvements. The Bathhouse contains Sunset Terrace at Lakeview and is available to rent on some evenings. Call (440) 288-8899 to check availability. The lower level houses eight family changing rooms and a concession stand that is open in the warmer months.

Sunset Café

Sunset Café is located in the bathhouse right on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie and is open for lunch during the summer. Serving soups, salads, sandwiches and burgers, this is a great spot for lunch with a view!

The Café is open 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Friday from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Café also offers a concession menu on the beach from 12-7 p.m., daily.

Sunset Terrace at Lakeview Park

Sunset Terrace at Lakeview is an event center available for rent for weddings, showers, conferences and more! If you are looking for that sunset view over beautiful Lake Erie, this is the venue for you! The building holds 150 people and the cost is $150-$1,250 depending on day and time. You are welcome to use any caterer you wish. Your guests will surely enjoy the outside deck which overlooks the beach and the lake!

Beach & Playground

The beach at Lakeview Park is the perfect spot for swimming, sunbathing, or simply enjoying the spectacular views of Lake Erie. Visitors can relax on the sand as their children play on the playground. During summer hours, lifeguards are on duty daily from Noon to 6 p.m. The lower level of the Bathhouse has been updated to include eight family changing rooms (five have showers) and a concession stand in case you get hungry while enjoying the day at the beach.

Gazebos And Picnic Shelters

Lakeview has been a favorite picnic area for the community of Lorain since the 1920’s. A gazebo and picnic shelters are available to reserve for weddings, family reunions, or to just enjoy a day at the park. With the beach and a modern playground nearby, Lakeview Park is a great place to enjoy a summer day with family and friends.

Sports And Special Events

Lakeview Park hosts a variety of seasonal recreational sports including beach volleyball tournaments and weekly lawn bowling league play. And there is more! The summer season is packed with activities the whole family will enjoy. Kick off the summer with the concerts featuring local musicians in the amphitheaters on summer evenings.

Weddings

Lakeview Park has many picturesque places for a wedding. Both the beach house and Event Garden are popular for both the ceremony and reception. Other locations include the beach, the overlook, and the gazebo. To ensure a worry free day we do ask you to make arrangements! To inquire about reserving the bathhouse and event garden, call the Sunset Café at (440) 288-8899. To obtain a park permit for the beach, fountain, overlook and gazebo call the administrative offices at (440) 458-5121. Because of the popularity of the Rose Garden, we do not allow wedding ceremonies to take place in the garden. You are welcome to have wedding photos taken in the Rose Garden and we ask that you get a free park permit by calling the administrative offices.

Historic Lakeview Park Rose Garden

The Rose Garden at Lakeview Park was originally dedicated on May 30, 1932 and was sponsored by 17 community organizations, including the Lorain Rotary. The shape of the garden, a wheel with 8 spokes, is the Rotary Club emblem. Approximately 2,500 roses are planted in 48 beds with connecting walkways, completing the Rotary wheel and spokes.

The renovation and restoration of the Historic Rose Garden in 2005 was made possible by the combined effort of local businesses, groups and organizations, and citizens of the community. Roses have been planted to honor and commemorate loved ones who have had ties to the community or to the garden itself over the years.

To this day the Rose Garden is a landmark in Lorain County. The goal of the renovation was to restore the grandeur and beauty of Lakeview Park’s Rose Garden as historically correct as possible while recognizing and understanding the balance between history and today’s accessibility and public needs issues. The Metro parks worked with the Historical Rose Garden Restoration Committee on the renovation of this beautiful site.

If you would like to be part of this project and make a monetary donation towards a rose bush, please see the donation section of the website. Donations go towards the continual maintenance and upkeep of this breathtaking garden. This is a wonderful way to remember a loved one, honor your family, celebrate a birth or just enjoy assisting with the renovation of a beautiful garden.

HISTORY

In the early 1900’s, Lorain was a city on Lake Erie with no lake front property for the public to enjoy. Corporations, railways, and private land owners were gobbling up any lake front property that was available. Afraid that the public would eventually be isolated from the lakeshore, Lorain City officials started looking into purchasing land. What they found was 42 acres on the north and south sides of West Erie Avenue, which is now known as Lakeview Park.

Leonard Miller Moore, the Mayor of Lorain from 1916 to 1917, was the energy behind purchasing Lakeview Park for the city. Three offers where placed before the Mayor and City Council from the Chamberlain Estates. The first was to purchase the 19 acres along the lake for $42,500. The second included the land offered in the first proposal and 21.9 acres on the south side of West Erie Avenue for $52,900. Finally, Chamberlain offered all of the 119 acres along West Erie Ave. for $100,000, which Mayor Moore believed would be a “good buy” if the city could get the same price for portions of the property that they would not be able to use. After much discussion and some concern that the property was too far out of town for citizens to enjoy, councilmen decided to purchase 19 acres north of West Erie Ave and 21.9 acres south of West Erie Ave for $53,551.38.

Following the purchase, the City looked into ways to improving the park so families could enjoy hot summer days there. The public bathhouse was constructed to house changing rooms, concessions, and a deck overlooking the beach. For the daredevils, park officials installed three diving boards between 10-15 feet over the water and a slide that you could go down head first, feet first, or sideways into the water. On a hot day, the park could accommodate 2,000 visitors.

In 1924, a storm formed over Lake Erie. As it came across Sandusky Point, this storm spawned a tornado which devastated Lakeview Park as well as the City of Lorain. Eight individuals lost their lives in the park and the bathhouse was destroyed, with the exception of the concrete arched columns on the lower level. The beach house was rebuilt twice after that, always maintaining the concrete arched columns.

The Lorain County Metro Parks leased the 19 acres of property on the north side of West Erie Avenue from the City of Lorain in 2006. Extensive renovations, including a new bathhouse were completed in 2007. The style of the bathhouse is reminiscent of the original 1919 building, including the use of the original concrete arched columns on the lower level.