Cars And Storefronts Downtown And On Main Street, 1950s-1970s

Text by Patrick Bell.

It’s tour day, and this time we’re going downtown—or, more accurately, to several downtowns. Not the increasingly rare downtowns we know today, but the vintage kind, when Main Streets and city centers were still the heart of everyday life, in a collection of images that go from the 1950s to the 1970s. There’s plenty to see in these scenes, from the buildings and storefronts to the signs and, of course, the cars.

We begin on South C Street in Virginia City, Nevada, where the current view looks about the same.  The Old Washoe Club remains, otherwise the businesses have changed but the buildings have not.

On the left side of the street were three Pontiacs beginning with a yellow 1950 De Luxe Catalina hardtop, followed by a brown 1951 Chieftain De Luxe 4 door sedan, a 1953 Plymouth Cranbrook 4 door sedan, and #3 Pontiac, a 1954 Star Chief 4 door sedan.

This was 2nd Avenue in Fairbanks, Alaska, on a warm summer day.  Much of this has changed, but the tall white buildings ahead have survived.  The closest one with the “KFAR” Radio sign on top is the Lathrop Building, and it now has a TV station in part of it.

On the left edge was a 1955 Pontiac Star Chief Custom Catalina that was closely followed by a Volkswagen Type 1 Sunroof model of pre-1958 vintage. On the lower edge was a dark colored 1956 or 1957 Studebaker sedan, and a bronze 1957 Chevrolet.

We are heading back south to Taos, New Mexico, where the visible buildings remain.  The only business left is the Taos Inn, now known as The Historic Taos Inn.

A 1954 Buick Special or Century was in the lower left corner, with a 1951 Packard heading this way.  On the right edge looks like a 1941 Chevrolet, with a two tone 1954 Chrysler New Yorker 4 door sedan double parked in front of it.  It had a roof rack and a Florida license plate.

Let’s head west one state to Scottsdale, Arizona, in an area known as “Old Town”.  It is the corner of Main Street and North Brown Avenue.  The building on the right edge has survived, but most of the rest of them have been heavily updated or replaced.  They kept a similar look, and it now is a destination for tourists and locals alike.

There were at least three Chevrolet Advance Design trucks beginning with the 1947-1949 Canopy Express on the right edge.  Heading away in the street was a pale yellow 3600 series, and to it’s right was a blue 1947 or 1948 model, also a 3600 series.  And to it’s right was a white 1947 Cadillac Club Coupe, a yellow Crosley Pickup, and a two tone 1953 Lincoln sedan.

I believe we are still in Old Town Scottsdale although I cannot nail down an exact location for the moment.  That is where the Kiva Craft Center was/is located, about four blocks from the last image, and this image appears to be 8 or 10 years later.

In the right foreground was a sharp 1958 Mercury Montclair Phaeton Coupe with an Arizona license plate used from 1961-1963.  Beyond it looks like a 1958 Buick Special Riviera Estate Wagon or Century Caballero.  On the left was a red 1958 Chevrolet Brookwood wagon and a white 1955 Buick Special or Century 2 door Riviera hardtop.

Image notes on this one report this was Grass Valley, California, though I cannot confirm it.  Grass Valley is in Nevada County, and is about 70 miles from Lake Tahoe, so those two clues fit.

On the left was a 1955 Plymouth Savoy 4 door sedan that was the newest of the few visible.  Its license plate colors match the California issue used from 1951-1955.  Heading to the right there was a motorcycle, and a 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air 2 door sedan.

Let’s head across the country to Straight Wharf in Nantucket, Massachusetts.  It looked like a busy day on the wharf in the late 1960’s.

Starting on the left was a big block equipped 1967 Ford Country Squire 10 passenger wagon with a New York license plate used from 1966-1972.  Next were two Buick Special wagons; a 1967 model half out of a parking spot, and a black 1961 or 1962 model in the driving lane.  Back to the left was a turquoise 1960-1962 Ford Falcon 4 door sedan, a 1966 or 1967 Volkswagen Type 1, and a 1967 or 1968 Ford Mustang convertible.

Now we are in the 5100 block of Main Street in Downers Grove, Illinois, shown in a slide that was processed in November of 1965.  Many of the buildings seen remain, but the businesses have all changed.

Heading toward us on the left was a 1963 Buick LeSabre 4 door sedan, and a 1960 Chevrolet wagon.  Heading away was 1962-1964 Chevrolet Chevy II 4 door sedan, 1954 Chevrolet, and a red 1960 Ford Falcon.  Parked on the right was the roof of a 1959 Chevrolet Impala Sport Sedan, a 1964 Rambler Classic 550 4 door sedan, and a 1964 Cadillac Coupe.

This one is somewhere in Michigan in the early 1970’s as the visible license plates look like a Michigan style issued in 1971 and 1972.  The tallest building on the left was once a Moose Temple per the sign on the top edge.

There was a nice line up of GM cars beginning on the left with a 1969 Pontiac LeMans 4 door hardtop, and two Oldsmobiles; a 1969 Ninety-Eight Holiday Sedan, and a 1970 Cutlass S Hardtop Coupe.  The Chevrolets were on the right side with a 1968 Biscayne 2 door sedan, and a 1967 C10 Fleetside.  A late 1960’s International Scout was further up the line.

Here we are at Wall Drug in Wall, South Dakota, a place we have visited in the past.  It is a tourist attraction known for catering to travelers going through the region.  This image was from the early 1970’s.

In the lower right was a 1970 Mercury Colony Park wagon, and to the left a 1968 Dodge Polara 2 door hardtop, and a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.  In the row by the building I see a blue 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Sport Coupe, a white 1969 or 1970 Dodge Charger, and a bronze 1970 Chevrolet Impala.

We are back on the east side of the country in Irvington, New Jersey, at the corner of 18th and Vermont Avenues.  The businesses are different but the buildings are largely unchanged.

On the right a 1970 Dodge Polara wagon was passing through the intersection, while on the left a 1974-1977 AMC Hornet was waiting it’s turn.  In the center a 1975 Chevrolet Impala wagon was heading this way, and a 1964 or 1965 Imperial Crown convertible was heading away.  And parked on the right was a 1965 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe.

We are back in California in the city of Solvang, at the corner or Copenhagen Drive and 1st Street.  Solvang is known as the “Danish Capital of America”, so this scene has changed very little since this image from the early 1970’s.  Even the shoe store on the extreme left is still in operation.

Directly ahead was a 1972 Buick LeSabre Sport Coupe, and beginning on the right edge was a 1968 or 1969 Rambler American 440.  Next to the left was a 1958 Chevrolet, 1969 Mercury Marquis, and a 1967 Chevrolet Caprice.

Main Street in Starbuck, Minnesota, was the location of this 1979 image, and it looked like a part commercial and part industrial section of town.  A 1972 AMC Matador was parked in front of Vern’s Cafe on that bright sunny day.

Our tour ends on West Main Street in Mystic, Connecticut.  There were plenty of quaint shops just in this block that would have been happy to relieve you of some of your extra cash.  The apparatus over the road in the background is the drawbridge over the Mystic River.  The image was not dated, but it looks to be in the early 1980’s, with more imported than American cars visible.

In the lower corner was a 1973 Buick LeSabre Hardtop Coupe with two Ford’s behind it; a Fiesta and a Fairmont.  In the street was a Subaru DL/GL 2 door, and heading away maybe a Datsun 310.  At the curb on the right was perhaps a white 1978-1981 Pontiac Grand LeMans Safari, an orange Fiat 124 Spider, and a 1970-1973 Datsun 510.

Thanks for joining us and to all good day!

 

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