1800 West Erie Avenue
Lorain, Ohio 44052
(440) 245-1193

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Welcome to the Lakeview Park home page. 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!

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 the Rose Café during the day which is run by DeLuca’s Place in the Park and is available to rent on some evenings. Call DeLuca’s Place in the Park at (440) 233-7272 to check availability. The lower level houses 8 family changing rooms and a hotdog stand that is open in the warmer months.

THE ROSE CAFE
Visitors are welcomed to enjoy breakfast or lunch at the Rose Café while taking in the beautiful view of Lake Erie. The café is open Monday - Saturday 8am – 2pm and Sunday Brunch 10am – 2pm. The breakfast menu includes a breakfast wrap, muffin sandwich, bagels and more. The lunch menu consists of soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and paninis. A kids menu is also available for the little ones. Click here for a complete menu.

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 6pm. The lower level of the Bathhouse has been updated to include 8 family changing rooms (5 have showers) and a hotdog stand that are open in the summer.

GAZEBOS AND PICNIC SHELTERS
Lakeview has been a favorite picnic area for the community of Lorain since the 1920’s. A gazebo and picnic shelter are available to reserve for weddings, family reunions, or just a day to enjoy at the park. There are also smaller shelters available on a first-come first-served basis for an impromptu picnic. With the beach and a modern playground nearby, Lakeview Park is a great place to enjoy a summer day with family and friends. To reserve a shelter, call 440-458-5121 or 1-800-LCM-PARK.

SPORTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Lakeview Park hosts a variety of seasonal recreational sports including Beach Volleyball Tournaments, Triathlons, and weekly Lawn Bowling League play. And there is more! The summer season is packed with activities the whole family will enjoy. The two large amphitheatres will be packed with concerts in the summer months. Also visitors can enjoy the Beach Party Festival in June and the Sunset Festival in August.

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 beach house and event garden, call DeLuca’s Place in the Park at (440) 233-7272. To obtain a park permit for the beach, overlook and gazebo call 1-800-LCM-PARK. Unfortunately we do not allow wedding ceremonies in the Rose Garden because of its popularity. You can have wedding photos taken in the Rose Garden and we ask that you get a free park permit by calling 1-800-LCM-PARK.

The recent renovation and restoration of the Historic Rose Garden at Lakeview Park has been 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 Metro Parks are pleased to be working with the Historical Rose Garden Restoration Committee on the renovation of this beautiful site. The goal is 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.

To be able to complete this goal, we are asking for your help. We are asking the citizens of Lorain County to donate a gift to the rose garden. What a wonderful say to remember a loved one, honor your family, celebrate a birth or just enjoy assisting with the renovation of a beautiful garden.

Lakeview Rose Sponsor

• $100 Gift – sponsors a rose to be planted in the name of a loved one.
• $250 Gift – sponsors a rose from a pre-determined list of roses to be planted in the name of a loved one. Click here to see color choices.

Lakeview Park Sponsor

• $500 Gift - your gift sponsors one of the new park benches. A plaque will be placed on the bench remembering your gift.
• $1000 Gift - your gift sponsors a flower bed near the beach house or plaza garden.

All donations will be remembered on the Lorain County Metro Parks on-line donation program. If you are interested in donating to this wonderful project, please call the Lorain County Metro Parks at (440) 458-5121 and we’ll send you some information.

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 started looking into ways to improving the park so families could enjoy hot summer days there. The public Bath House 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 side 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. Twenty-two individuals lost their lives in the park and the beach house 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 bath house is reminiscent of the original 1917 building, including the use of the original concrete arched columns on the lower level

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.

In 2005, the Lorain County Metro Parks was please and honored to be offered the opportunity to restore this amazing and historical site. The renovation and restoration of the Historical Rose Garden at Lakeview Park was made possible by the combined efforts 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.

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