After years of problems with transients, fires, and health inspection violations, the Earle Hotel sustained a fatal blow on April 26, 1974. A spectacular three-alarm blaze destroyed the 81-year-old structure at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Michigan Street in downtown Toledo. Blade photographer Luke Black captured the scene as crews battled the fire.

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The blaze could be seen for miles in all directions, with a motorist reporting he saw the smoke and flames while driving on the Ohio Turnpike between Stony Ridge and Maumee. Staff and patients watched the fire from St. Charles Hospital in Oregon, and Toledo Hospital in West Toledo. Customers at the Starlight Lounge, 925 Jefferson, held their drinks as they watched the blaze through the front window, and dozens lined the balconies of the Glass City Inn, 1001 Jefferson.

Crews remained at the scene for three days, as the blaze was difficult to contain. The interior was largely wooden construction, so the fire was persistent. Nearby businesses were evacuated because of burning embers blowing from the hotel. Eighty one residents from the Lexington apartments on 10th street and 40 from the YWCA on Jefferson were moved to safer locations. While some of the neighboring businesses had smoke and water damage, fire crews successfully contained the flames to the hotel. The cause was not known, but fire officials said it would have been easy for vandals to enter the building, as many doors and windows had been removed.

The 270-room, 7-story building was unoccupied, having been closed a few months earlier.

Built in 1893 as a luxury hotel named Monticello, it was a frequent stop for traveling salesmen, merchants, and famous entertainers. The Toledo baseball club also made its home at the Monticello. The Milner Hotel Management Co. took over operations in 1938, and renamed it Milner Hotel. Later it was Milner Highland, and in 1970 became the Earle Hotel.

The Earle was a haven for the elderly, and for transient families and welfare recipients placed there in emergency situations by the Lucas County welfare department. The age of the structure also meant frequent visits from the health department. From 1960 to 1974, several blazes at the hotel resulted in 37 runs by the fire division. At least two of those blazes were major; one in 1968, and another in 1971. Owners struggled to afford repairs after that blaze, and decided to close the building in early 1974.

Despite its disrepair, the Earle was included in a project to brighten old, bare walls of downtown buildings. A $2,000 mural of a huge apple was painted on its side by Wind Inc. through a grant from the Ohio Arts Council.

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First Published April 27, 2015, 4:00 a.m.