Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Main Street - Over 100 years ago - Old postcard view of the 1400 block of E. Main, c. 1907

[Click for larger view]

Before it became Richmond’s financial district in the 1910s and 1920s, Main Street was the principle business district. Every Richmond merchant wanted a storefront on Main Street. This image, ca. 1907, shows the 1400 block of E. Main Street. The 1907 Richmond directory notes that this crowded block included over 70 merchants selling a wide variety of goods including

several firms engaged in the manufacture of carriages, buggies, and wagons. For more postcard views of Richmond, buy this great Holiday gift: Greetings from Richmond.


And how does that block look today?

3 comments:

Bryan said...

What a sad before-and-after! I always love the richness and variety of the old streetscapes. Any guess as to what that bicycle-wheel looking thing is atop the building midway in the block on the south side of the street?

Ray said...

It's a wagon wheel - that block had lots of businesses dealing with wagons and farm equipment.

- Ray

HEK said...

Oy. If this doesn't show you the utter destruction of that dadblasted interstate (which two public referendums voted to bend it around the northside of the city) nothing will. The subordination of the common weal to the nepotism of the government's agencies and business leaders foisted upon us the "Richmond Petersburg Turnpike Authority." Which is bureaucratese for "We're building this damn right through the middle of town, whether you like it or not, punks." -- HEK