Pictures or links to downtown city streets

[Wes Whitmore]

Hello all,

I'm looking for pictures of downtown areas on small towns and cities.  Preferably 1950s-70s).  I'm trying to get as many ideas as I can of a single strip of buildings.  I have around 16" x 6' to put my strip.  I plan on putting a sidewalk,paved road, and street lights, if I can get it to fit.  I have never done it before, so I don't know what all to make room for.  That's why I want pictures!  A train will be running in the front and rear of the strip.

I found this picture of delaware OH, which is close to what I want, but a little more modern.  I want to actually put cars on my steet, not horses!

But not this new either:

Thanks,
Wes

[Buckeye Riveter]

http://www.mariettahistory.org/images/historyphotos/Square/1950-1960/index.html

 

 

[kpolak]

Wes, 

I'll take a trip to Downtown Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and pass some photos along tomorrow afternoon.  That will provide historical, and modern renditions of historical architecture.

Kurt

[spankybird]

Sound like you need to take a trip to downtown Willoughby, Ohio

 http://www.willoughbyohio.com/history/gallery.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Wes Whitmore]

That's a great start.  That's what I needed to start with.

Thanks everyone.

Wes

[dwiemer]

I found this picture of delaware OH, which is close to what I want, but a little more modern.  I want to actually put cars on my steet, not horses!

Thanks,
Wes

But Wes, isn't that photo from last week in OH?  And they say we're slow down here!

Dennis

[lionelsoni]

Is it more prototypical to model old city streets in black and white or in color?  Consider this conversation between Calvin and his father:

--Dad, how come old photographs are always black and white? Didn't they have color film back then?
--Sure they did. In fact, those old photographs ARE in color. It's just the WORLD was black and white then.
--Really?
--Yep. The world didn't turn color until sometime in the 1930s, and it was pretty grainy color for a while, too.
--That's really weird.
--Well, truth is stranger than fiction.
--But then why are old PAINTINGS in color?! If the world was black and white, wouldn't artists have painted it that way?
--Not necessarily. A lot of great artists were insane.
--But... but how could they have painted in color anyway? Wouldn't their paints have been shades of gray back then?
--Of course, but they turned colors like everything else in the '30s.
--So why didn't old black and white photos turn color too?
--Because they were color pictures of black and white, remember?

[Buckeye Riveter]

Wes, 

I'll take a trip to Downtown Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and pass some photos along tomorrow afternoon.  That will provide historical, and modern renditions of historical architecture.

Kurt

Wes, for some reason I don't think that Scarlet and Gray Steamer would look right in Ann Arbor.

[dwiemer]

Wes, all kidding aside, if you get the History Channel or History International, they have a series called "Voyages"  Check your listing as many times these are on trains.  They have shown some great footage of....dare I say it........Ohio.  Many of the scenes show some downtown photos as the trains pass by.  Another great program is Trains and Locomotives on RFD-TV.  The trolley scenes have lots of downtown views from the time period you are looking for.

Dennis

[dadurling]

I always start a picture quest by using Google's image search feature. Try searching for "downtown" and see what comes up.

http://images.google.com

 

[kpolak]

Here ya go.  Also, research the Monon line in Indiana.  I believe they went straight down the center of the main street in one of the towns.  Hope these help.

 

[Wes Whitmore]

Thanks for all of the ideas everyone.  I have been out in the backyard building a pergola over the deck, and this is my first time sitting down on the computer.  I've looked at all of the pictures, and picked up a few more ideas.  Keep em coming!

Wes

[Buckeye Riveter]

Kurt, the Monon went down the middle of the street in the city where I was born, Lafayette, Indiana.  It went real slow.

[Dave Farquhar]

Check this site: http://www.groceteria.com/

Vintage photos of grocery stores. Pretty much any decade you want from 1920 onward. The photos concentrate on a single building, but you'll get a good look at one building, perhaps its neighbor, and some cars.