Many of the people and places Lorain residents loved and lived in vanished in a heartbeat shortly after 5 p.m. on June 28, 1924, when the deadliest tornado in Ohio’s history devastated the city. Within five minutes, buildings and homes were turned to rubble, thousands were injured and 78 lives were lost.

“Downtown Lorain was pretty much wiped out,” says Scott Kosman, who leads the family business. “Streets were filled with glass and in order to rebuild just about everyone needed their doors and windows repaired.”

The story of that shattering day remains etched in the Kosman family history. At the time, Scott’s grandfather, Anthony Kosman, was a 26-year-old, stained-glass installer in Cleveland, who’d left school in the sixth grade to help support his family. After witnessing the tornado’s destruction, the artisan knew he wanted to help those affected pick up the pieces.

It was that dedication and his meticulous attention to detail that led the elder Kosman to found the Lorain Glass Company later that year.

Over the years, the company — which is celebrating its centennial this year — has become one of the largest and oldest glazing houses in Ohio.

With the onset of World War II, the firm grew and branched out into installing auto glass. During the 1950s, Lorain Glass patented and launched a Glasshopper mobile repair service that remains on the job today, made up of a fleet of fully equipped workshop vans. 

Savvy marketing and continued growth led to the formation of Lakeland Glass Co. in 1984 as a subsidiary to enhance the expanding business. Scott’s son Alex is the first of the fourth generation to carry the tradition forward.

Today, the company is an ardent supporter of the city of Lorain, Lorain city schools and the Lorain Chamber of Commerce.

Of all the high-rise office buildings, replacement glass jobs and custom mirrors the company has crafted, there’s one project that clearly means the most: In the aftermath of the tornado, Anthony Kosman replaced the stained-glass windows in Lorain’s St. Mary’s Church that had been destroyed. They continue to remain a beacon of light for generations of parishioners.

“Glass is such a staple in our lives,” Kosman says. “It lets in the light, and is everywhere from display cases to picture windows to see what’s in front of you to patio doors that let you see your backyard.

“It truly serves,” he adds, “as a reflection of our world.”