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National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: route17fan on March 06, 2017, 02:43:15 PM

Title: Ohio: Lazarus Department Store traffic lights
Post by: route17fan on March 06, 2017, 02:43:15 PM
Mods, I apologize in advance if I put this topic in the wrong board - honestly, I was not sure where to put this - just seeing if anybody else remembers this:

I remember as a kid growing up, say around 1976 or 1978, our family would make the trip from small town Ohio to Columbus to shop and spend the day (usually a Saturday). I remember that Lazarus Department Store, specifically in Downtown Columbus, having traffic lights hanging from the ceiling and, while not a fan of shopping at all, having them hang from the ceiling made it somehow more tolerable. The units themselves were yellow in color and I have no idea who the manufacturer of them were (i.e. Crouse-Hinds, etc.) or if they were even "real" to begin with.

Does anyone else remember this?? I do not remember a holiday being attached to the traffic light decorations.
Title: Re: Ohio: Lazarus Department Store traffic lights
Post by: busman_49 on March 07, 2017, 03:04:22 PM
That would have been cool to see!
Title: Re: Ohio: Lazarus Department Store traffic lights
Post by: Hot Rod Hootenanny on March 07, 2017, 08:06:38 PM
Quote from: route17fan on March 06, 2017, 02:43:15 PM
Mods, I apologize in advance if I put this topic in the wrong board - honestly, I was not sure where to put this - just seeing if anybody else remembers this:

I remember as a kid growing up, say around 1976 or 1978, our family would make the trip from small town Ohio to Columbus to shop and spend the day (usually a Saturday). I remember that Lazarus Department Store, specifically in Downtown Columbus, having traffic lights hanging from the ceiling and, while not a fan of shopping at all, having them hang from the ceiling made it somehow more tolerable. The units themselves were yellow in color and I have no idea who the manufacturer of them were (i.e. Crouse-Hinds, etc.) or if they were even "real" to begin with.

Does anyone else remember this?? I do not remember a holiday being attached to the traffic light decorations.

While this was before my time, there are several facebook groups focusing on "old" Columbus photos, and one of them might have a photo (or two) of the Lazarus traffic light.
Title: Re: Ohio: Lazarus Department Store traffic lights
Post by: GCrites on March 07, 2017, 09:24:15 PM
I don't remember it. The '80s is when they were starting to make the store more "normal" so the traffic lights might have gotten the axe during that decade. The Downtown stores were always the big tadoo with Lazarus so I don't think the suburban stores got anything like that. Eastland, Westland and Kingsdale weren't as "flashy" (get it?).
Title: Re: Ohio: Lazarus Department Store traffic lights
Post by: route17fan on March 08, 2017, 04:31:59 AM
Quote from: GCrites80s on March 07, 2017, 09:24:15 PM
I don't remember it. The '80s is when they were starting to make the store more "normal" so the traffic lights might have gotten the axe during that decade. The Downtown stores were always the big tadoo with Lazarus so I don't think they got anything like that. Eastland, Westland and Kingsdale weren't as "flashy" (get it?).

Oh absolutely! :) Yeah, this was definitely the late 70s when this happened - and also I remember them being on the higher floors and having seeing them from the escalators.

The more I think about it, with ceiling height being what it is, they could not have been very big.
Title: Re: Ohio: Lazarus Department Store traffic lights
Post by: GCrites on March 08, 2017, 09:07:18 PM
Right, the 1st floor had somewhat high ceilings more toward Front Street. but the upper floors were oh, 10-12 foot ceilings.