Let’s revisit some thriving downtowns and main streets across the US with the help of some 1950s-1960s postcards. As expected, quite a bit of life and daily action is evident in most of these, showcasing a mix of big cities and towns of different sizes.
Our first postcard is on Broadway, in Portland OR.
High St. in Columbus, OH.
Business District, Rutland, VT.
Washington, PA.
Toledo, OH.
Sheridan, WY.
Public Square, Henderson, TX.
Crown Point, IN.
Wisconsin Rapids, WI.
Fiat 1100 in Rutland. A genuine rarity!
And Wisconsin likes Ramblers, unsurprisingly.
Looks like Rutland did have its own Fiat dealership back then – the car likely came from here:
Probably they had a better selection back then. Today the only FIAT dealer in Vermont has two red electric 500Es. Anyone who wants a gas model has to go to New Hampshire.
It’s interesting that the only imports are the TR3 in Oregon and the Fiat in Vermont. No Beetles – unless someone has sharper eyes than me.
There’s a blue UK Ford Consul on the very right edge of the photo in Rutland.
VW didn’t even start to take off until 1955, and most of these shots are from right about then or so. If they were from 1959-1960, there almost certainly would have been some.
I see a ’60 Chevy in Rutland and a 2nd gen Corvair in Crown Point. Did early VWs have enough heat for non-coastal New England and the Midwest?
There was a Henry J in Sheridan Wyoming !
Crown Point was where more than a few of my relative married because there was no waiting period there. A normal overnight wedding was to drive to Crown Point, marry, then spend the wedding night at Turkey Run State Park. A lot of celebrities from the Chicagoland area, even a few Hollywood celebrities, married in Crown Point at the regionally famous Crown Point Court House.
So it is a bit odd to see a shot of Crown Point without the famous marrying courthouse across the street from that Ben Franklin and the other little stores.
All of Lake County, Indiana is really more Chicago than Indiana. It is a highly populated place, but since the implosion of Gary in the 1960s it lacks a major city. Instead, it is a series of towns that butt against one another. I think it’s the only county in the state with courthouses in four different locations – Gary, Crown Point, East Chicago and Hammond. It is unfortunate that I have never been in that historic courthouse in Crown Point – which has not been used for court business in decades.
The Public Square of Henderson, Texas looks different today because the traffic circle with the statue has been eliminated. Apparently, the city’s leadership thought the circle was a hazard, so it was removed in the 1960s.
Incidentally, the statue (which was moved a few blocks to the Rusk County Courthouse grounds) is of Thomas Jefferson Rusk, who was a US Senator, and also the first Secretary of War for the Republic of Texas.
For those who are curious, here a shot of Sydney Australia and Montreal, Canada from the same era on Hemmings blog. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2019/01/03/sydney-1960s
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2017/04/03/montreal-quebec-1960s-2
Love the automotive colour palette!
Note the thick motor oil buildup visible on the pavement, in all vacant parking spaces.
Before the plague of surface parking lots replaced half of America’s downtown buildings. There aren’t too many downtowns remaining with this level of building density or architectural variety.
The Rexall name remains big in Canada. With over 400 Rexall pharmacies located here.
“McKesson Canada purchased Rexall in December 2016 for $3 billion from the Katz Group of Companies.”
Their current branding and store design, among my favourites, in the retail pharmacy field.
“Washington PA” was a “hopping place” for sure back in the day.
We used to pass through Washington (or Little Washington as it was dubbed) when traveling from our home near Pittsburgh to visit my great aunt and uncle’s family in Wheeling, West Virginia. I vaguely recall that we bypassed the downtown by taking residential streets (at least before I-79 and I-70 were opened).
Those speed limit signs with the blocky font were quite common in western Pennsylvania at the time. I find it curious now that they say “25 miles” and not “25 mph.”
Merchants’ Row in Rutland hasn’t changed much;
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.606756,-72.980361,3a,75y,5h,99.85t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sBezz9Rh6YnlZNLctZoCy6A!2e0!5s20180901T000000!7i13312!8i6656?coh=205409&entry=ttu
As a young child just before catalytic converters became popular, I recall my mom walking me for hours in my stroller, on busy downtown Ottawa sidewalks. As she shopped, and enjoyed the crowds, and atmosphere. I’d feel sick sometimes, because of all the car and bus exhaust. I remember asking to go home early a couple times. These pics do remind me of the bad air quality.
Rideau Street in Ottawa. Early 1970s.
When I see old postcards like these, I’m always amazed at what was thought preserving on a postcard. I’m thankful for it on a historical level, but still…..
Okay, I can get that a business district was seen as a sign of progress and growth, especially to those of an early-postwar mindset. I’m not anti-business but pro-beauty. Dirty cars, or oddly bright-coloured cars which grab the eye like a magnet – it’s easy to see these were random unstaged shots taken on a weekday to show how busy the town was. And how random people’s tastes seem to have been.
If you were visiting Crown Point, say, would you rather send someone a card of the court house VanillaDude shows us above, or the streetscape with horribly mismatched buildings and a bright orange wagon?
Many examples of both style of postcards. Those, that feature main streets, small businesses, and commerce, or historical landmarks.
The historical landmark cards could/would be very predictable, if they always featured the same landmark(s), a community is known for. Also, pics of buildings can be very static/boring.
Before postcards became old-fashioned/dated, sometime in the ’70’s (or ’80’s), some communities would show a collage of images of highlights of their town/city. A bit more interesting.
Not the most dynamic way to promote tourism. Very traditional/old-fashioned. I always found them boring!
I call this “Hennepin Noire”. From the Minnesota Historical Society, this shot looks south from 6th street, April 10, 1950. This was the entertainment strand for MInneapolis for many years, the famous/infamous “Block E” to the right. Anyone familiar with the area will surely wax nostalgic. I have a mounted 15×20 inch print over my desk.