HISTORICAL LOOKING GLASSES

The Elyria Community Partnership is working on an interactive educational landmark installation project, called The Historical Looking Glasses, designed to get people to see downtown Elyria through a different lens. By looking through these windows into the past, a pedestrian will see an outline of a structure or street scene as it existed and then overlaid on to the present. Installing these “Looking Glasses” in key areas will highlight the beauty and the bustle that once was, and help people use that energy to look into the future, at what could be. Each looking glass will contain the outline of one or more removed buildings or architectural features created from a reference photo and a brief two paragraph history setting the scene.

The Historical Looking Glasses are one of the first major projects being undertaken by the Elyria Community Partnership and are also part of its Picturesque Elyria Initiative which is focused on education, beautification, and highlighting Elyria’s unique history. Some of our partners for this project are the Lorain County Historical Society and the Elyria Public Library who will be providing us with source images and historical research for each selected location.