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Downtown 1958

Downtown 1958

Friday, April 5, 2013

Hustle and Bustle of Small Town America


This photograph shows the iconic Bank of Menasha corner sometime in the late 1930's/early 1940's.  Next door to the bank, heading westerly is the Avalon Bar, occupying real estate that would be home to the Left Guard years later.  You can also see the Gibson Chevy dealership and the Fire Department.  Between Gibson's and the Avalon are offices for a few attorneys and physicians, to include the Jensen brothers, Fred and Dick.  The festive banner across Main Street invites us to celebrate in Menasha.  Next to the bank with a truck in front, is Leopold's Tavern.  Notice the Old Style and Gettelman's signs on the corner.  And in keeping with the lighting downtown, notice the combination light/flag pole on the circle. 

A photo like this makes me think of Hollywood's idealized middle America.  I half expect to see Andy Hardy riding by! 

2 comments:

  1. I think the tall building beyond Gibson Chevrolet is the fire station.

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  2. In my opinion a couple of mistakes were allowed to to occur. One was the rerouting of Chute Street, the other the destruction of the old library .

    ReplyDelete