Retro Toledo Metro - Indie Local History

Modernist Homes of the 1930s: George Palm Jr., B. V. Zamore and International Style in Toledo

*Toledo-Lucas County Public Library Block Card Collection*

This post was inspired by this recent post.

In Toledo, Ohio, there are several Modern-style houses designed by George Palm Jr. and built by B. V. Zamore (Zamore Builds, Inc.) during the 1930s. These homes reflect the then-popular International Style, an architectural movement that emerged in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, championed by architects such as Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The movement emphasized clean lines, flat roofs, smooth stucco exteriors over concrete block, and minimal ornamentation, creating a boxy, geometric, and distinctly modern aesthetic that was a sharp departure from traditional home styles.

Bi-Lo, 2701 N. Reynolds Rd.

Source: Toledo-Lucas County Public Library Block Card Collection.

Bi-Lo opened c1958. After Bi-Lo the station became a Hi-Fy Gas Station (c1965), then Holiday Camping Center (c1979) and then a U-Haul Center (c1980). U-Haul remains at this location.

Gardiner Home, 3342 Cason Ave.

Built c1955. Still standing.

Mizner Home, 3353 N. Holland-Sylvania Rd.

Built c1948. Currently Toledo Auto Group.

Sylvania Body Shop

3343 Holland-Sylvania Rd.

Formerly [Carl] Morgan’s Body Shop c1940s. According to Ohio Secretary of State filings John Jobuck opened Sylvania Body Shop in 1965. Closed c1991.

Morgan’s Body Shop. c1940s. Source: Toledo-Lucas County Public Library Block Card Collection.

Reynolds Village, 2865 N. Reynolds Rd.

Reynolds Village. Row of shops are on the right. Country Inn is in the center. Another shop is on the left. An addition was eventually built between the Country Inn and the shop on the left. This combination of structures eventually became the Oak’en Bucket. Source: Toledo Blade.

Reynolds Village, opened c1961, was owned by Andrew and Ruth Reynolds and consisted of several buildings, including the Country Inn and the Reynolds family home. The village was located on Reynolds Road just south of Central Avenue. Closed c1974.

Country Inn, 2841 N. Reynolds Rd.

Country Inn was converted from a residential home (see image directly below) to a business c1964. As a residence it appears to have been the home of George F. Glass, who ran the Shetland Ranch pony stable on the rear of the property.

Reynolds Road Extension

Reynolds Road, previously called Adams Township Stone and Gravel Road No. 10, began as a rural township route in what was once Adams Township, serving 19th-century farms southwest of Toledo.

2-4-1911. “Adams Township Stone and Gravel Road No. 10” Source: Toledo Blade.

This post looks at the unimproved portion of Reynolds Road that used to run from Central Avenue to Holland-Sylvania Road before 1930. What I’m calling the Reynolds Road Extension.

Clark Super 100, 5704 W. Central Ave.

Opened late 1966. Located on the northwest corner of Central Avenue and Elmont Road.

Fisher Leasing, 5744 W. Central Ave.

Formerly: F & L Gulf Service (c1957) Rudy’s Gulf Service (c1959) Wilcox Gulf Service Station (c1962) Fisher Leasing (c1977). Later became Brown Motor Sales and various others. Currently Auto Credit USA of Toledo.