Main/Monroe streets NE corner

GAYLEEN GINDY

The earliest use of this property was from the 1830s through the early 1880s when there was a large stone tavern/hotel on the property owned by Erastus Morse, then Stephen Porter, then A.J. Covell and others. The hotel was one of Sylvania’s earliest structures and was located on the original “Plank Road,” which was one of Lucas County’s first roads. Sadly, there are no photos available of this old hotel.
In 1883 the Sylvania Township Trustees purchased the land and tore down the old stone tavern/hotel. They then prepared the property as Sylvania’s first public park which they called “The Commons.” Old-timers years ago documented that there was a bandstand in the park where the local musicians played and sang, and they said that occasionally traveling medicine shows were held here. One old-timer actually wrote about this “huge” vacant lot which he said was used as “a playground for the boys to play games of one-o-cat-two-o-cat, long ball, baseball and scrub ball.”
Then in 1895 the voters of Sylvania were asked to vote on the question of selling “The Commons” or keeping it. The vote concluded with 159 votes cast for the sale, and 60 votes cast against the sale. So, the land was split into three parcels and sold by auction. The very corner lot was purchased by Lansing Potter who built a large two-story wooden livery stable building, which can be seen in the 1907 photo. Potter operated the livery business until 1904, when he sold it to Fred O. Peak and John A. Crandall who continued the livery business until 1915.
In 1915 Oscar Jacobs purchased the livery building and moved it to the northern 40 feet of the parcel and bricked up the building. He sold the southern 65 feet, directly at the corner, to the Farmers and Merchants Bank. By 1916 the company built the large two-story bank building, which included space they could rent to tenants in the northern portion, basement and the second floor. In the late 1920s and all through the 1930s the Sylvania Township Fire Department members rented the second floor, and just about every weekend there were dances, dinners, or some type of entertainment being held there to raise money for Sylvania’s volunteer fire department.
From 1916 until 1940 the Farmers and Merchants Bank occupied the first floor, while renting out all other areas. In February of 1930 this was the bank that was robbed by Pretty Boy Floyd and his gang. The head cashier was pistol whipped for slamming the bank vault shut preventing them from getting even more cash.
In 1940 the Sylvania Savings Bank bought out the Farmers and Merchants and the two banks merged, moving all operations to this corner building. The following banks have occupied the building since 1940:
•1940 – Sylvania Savings Bank
•1986 – Toledo Trust Bank
•1989 – Trustcorp – Sylvania Financial Center
•1993 – Society Bank & Trust
•1995 to current – KeyBank
If you look very carefully at the current photo you can see where the old livery stable building started and ended, (see arrows)