Thursday, December 29, 2011

Ho-Ho Restaurant - New York, New York

Ho-Ho Restaurant - New York, New York by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

Means "Prosperity and Happiness"
789 Seventh Ave., New York
Between 51st & 52nd Streets
Authentic Chinese Cuisine in a Modern Decor
Luncheon - Dinner - Supper
COCKTAIL LOUNGE - AIR CONDITIONED
CIrcle 6-3278

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If "Ho-Ho" means happiness and prosperity then CitiBank must mean that Ho-Ho didn't enjoy enough happiness and prosperity.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Dunes Motel - Bend, Oregon

Dunes Motel - Bend, Oregon by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

1515 E. 3rd Street, Bend, Ore.
Highway 97
It's entirely new. One of Bend's most attractive and beautifully furnished motels. 30 comfortable units, all with phones and TV. Near shopping areas and recreational advantages.

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The Dunes Motel is still kicking. The awesome sign appears to have been blown away by the sand, which is a cryin' shame. The new sign is just so boring.
There is no real website for the Dunes. You can book rooms through various other sites.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Citizens State Bank - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Citizens State Bank - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

Located at 23rd and Classen - one of the busiest intersections in the city. This unusual and spectacular anodized aluminum Geodesic dome stands 72 feet high with a diameter of 150 feet. The column-less interior of the building is unusual, colorful and beautiful.

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Amazingly, the dome is still standing. Do domes stand? The dome was built in 1958 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
Today, the Gold Dome is an event and cultural center, offering free tours and hosting both public and private parties. The Gold Dome will also lease its 50 person board room, the lower level Red Room, and even the elegant lobby space for community use. The building is home to two art galleries, the Grapevine Gallery and Fletcher Christian Vines Gallery which occupies the former bank vault. Additional space has been converted into private offices. In 2007, plans were confirmed for the opening of a restaurant and lounge in the Dome.
You can read about the history of the dome here and here.

Plaza Inn Motel - St. Petersburg, Florida

Plaza Inn Motel - St. Petersburg, Florida by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

401 - 34th St. North
On U.S. 19
St. Petersburg, Florida
TV and Telephone in rooms. Spacious Pool. Cocktail Lounge. Central location. Decorator inspired interiors. Completely air-conditioned throughout. 125 sparkling new units. 20 with complete Kitchenettes. Next door to Howard Johnson's Restaurant.


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The Plaza Inn is gone, but the building remains. It is now known as the Mosley Motel and the sign says it was established in 1942. It also has a gate, which you rarely ever see in a motel. Must be some shady pool hoppers (worst or best band name ever?). No evidence of the Howard Johnson's surviving. Sad.

Waddle's Coffee Shop - Portland, Oregon

Waddle's Coffee Shop - Portland, Oregon by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

Waddle's Coffee Shop
Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner
Cocktails available- Miniature bottles
Open 6:00 AM - 1:00 AM
"A Duckie Place for the entire family"
11900 No. Highway 99
Just South of Interstate Bridge
Portland, Oregon

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Waddle's was a beloved restaurant in Portland. In 2004 it was turned into, of all things, a Hooters. Yuck. There is a colorful, informative link to the history of Waddle's at PDXHistory.com.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Jai Alai Fronton - Daytona Beach, Florida

Jai Alai Fronton - Daytona Beach, Florida by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

World's greatest players in lightning fast Jai Alai is the top attraction in Daytona Beach.
Fronton is located on Route 92

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A Fronton is a two walled or single walled court used as playing area for Basque pelota or Jai Alai.
Thanks to the Los Angeles Times for this tidbit:
The Daytona Beach Fronton was built in 1959. In 1974, the Daytona Beach (Fla.) Jai Alai fronton burned to the ground and a $4-million insurance payment was paid out. The report to the Birmingham Racing Commission said that in 1980, Gary Bowdach, a federal prosecution witness, said the fire was ordered by Salvatore Cufari, a reputed crime boss in Springfield, Mass.
I am not sure where the fronton was, exactly. The postcard only says Route 92 and show the fronton near the water.

Crystal Pistol - Chicago, Illinois

Crystal Pistol - Chicago, Illinois by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

1452 N. Wells - Chicago - WH 4-9231
OLD TOWN'S AUTHENTIC WILD WEST SALOON
Western Style Steak, home-made Chili, Steer Berger, Served by Our Pistol Packin Mamas! Featuring Largest Stein in Old Town - 12 oz.
Entertainment Nightly

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The Crystal Pistol is long gone, as I expected it to be. Old West Saloons and modern Chicago don't really mix. I did find some interesting stuff. Apparently there used to be go-go dancers in the window. That's pretty damn awesome. I don't know much else. This place must have been the cat's pajamas back in its heyday.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Rose Motel - Tacoma, Washington

Rose Motel - Tacoma, Washington by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

A new motel with a variety of outstanding units well known for hospitality and individually controlled Hot Water Heat, Telephones, TVs and Radios in every unit. Phone JUniper 8-2171.
9021 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, Washington

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I was kind of surprised to see that this place, name withstanding, is still there. According to the Google Maps view, the outside looks recently renovated. There is no website for the place, so I don't know how the rooms look.

Carolina Pines Jr. - Hollywood, California

Carolina Pines Jr. - Hollywood, California by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

For a Sandwich, a Meal, or just "Coffee and...You"
Carolina Pines "Jr."
La Brea at Sunset
In the Heart of Hollywood

Unique 24 hour Coffee Shop and Enclosed Patio serving a wide selection of choice foods - in a beautiful and charming atmosphere - backed by CAROLINA PINE 30 years reputation for unexcelled cuisine.
BREAKFAST SERVED 'ROUND THE CLOCK

Mailed from Los Angeles, California to Mrs. Dorothy Geiger of Reading, Pennsylvania on February 15, 1960:

Dear Dorothy, Do you happen to have a good receipe (sic) for Berks Co. scrapple? Carole's husband's father & grandfather tried making some but wasn't too good, so they're eager for a good receipe (sic).
Kenneth's the best baby ever - & such a doll. I'll hate to leave him - but miss Mike, too. He's been staying with Mary Jane these 3 weeks. I promise to write some & give you data on birthdates, etc. Love, Jeannie

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I am not exactly sure of which corner the restaurant was located. It could be any of the four. You can swivel the camera around and see the newness of the area.

Carolina Pines, Jr. was built in 1955 by renowned "Googie" architects Armet and Davis. The pair was responsible for mote than 4,000 buildings in Southern California. The Carolina Pines didn't survive. No one seems to remember when it was torn down.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

United States Post Office - Rochester, Minnesota

United States Post Office - Rochester, Minnesota by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

Rochester, Minnesota
Located across street from new Mayo Clinic Building occupying one square block in downtown Rochester.

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The post office was built in 1934 and torn down sometime in the latter-half of the 20th Century. The view has changed quite a bit from this old postcard. This part of Downtown Rochester is all about the Mayo Clinic and people staying in hotels and eating near the world famous medical facility.

Tien Tu Chinese Restaurant - New York, New York

Tien Tu Chinese Restaurant - New York, New York by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

180 Third Avenue at 17th Street
New York, N.Y. 10003
HEAVENLY DISHES FROM THE LAND OF THE GOOD EARTH

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The Chinese food place and all of its 80s, too much cocaine decor has been replaced by a much more modern/subtle looking Japanese sushi place. I can find absolutely no information on Tien Tu. I don't know when it started or when it closed. Their heavenly food has gone to heaven.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Circle Diner - Flemington, New Jersey

Circle Diner - Flemington, New Jersey by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

"Where Routes 202-31-12 Meet"
Seating Capacity: 230 - Two modern dining rooms for banquets and parties. Famous FOR OUR DELICIOUS CHEESE CAKES
New York 50 Miles Philadelphia

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The Circle Diner was a very popular eatery at the Junction of Routes 202,31 & 12 in Flemington, New Jersey. It wasn't hard to find information on the place. Heck, there's even a Facebook group devoted to it. The history of what happened to it, and why there's a TGI Fridays there now is pretty fascinating:

From the mid-1950s until 1994, the Circle Diner at the intersection of routes 202 and 31 was one of the most popular places to eat in town. In 1994, the building burned down, when the owner had the place torched in an attempt to cash in on the $1 million insurance. James Katsaros admitted the scheme in 1996.

Bellevue Park Plaza Shopping Center - Belleville, Illinois

Bellevue Park Plaza Shopping Center - Belleville, Illinois by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

Built in 1956, Belleville's only Shopping Center is located at 46th and W. Main Street.

Mailed from Belleville, Illinois to Miss Gladys Schneider of Bronxville, New York on May 9, 1967:
Dear Gladys,
Went shopping this morning. Elaine bought some tomato plants etc. the weather is quite cool, but nice and clear. At the moment we just had lunch and are watching TV.
Mother.

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The view is slightly different from the postcard because the Google Maps view for approximately the same angle is so dark you can't even see it.
The Bellevue is little strip mall built in the 1956. It originally housed a Stiehl drug store, a National Food Store, a shoe store, and a few other mid-century stores.
Now it's a pretty standard strip mall with a Rent-a-Center, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and a former Blockbuster Video.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Pay Less Drug Store - Salem, Oregon

Pay Less Drug Store - Salem, Oregon by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?


Pay Less Drug Store, one of the leading stores in the Oregon Capital City.

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This Pay Less opened in 1963. I am guessing this changed names in 1997 after the purchase of Pay Less by Rite Aid. It doesn't look close to the same, but I assume it is the same building.

Here's another view of the store from the Oregon Historic Photograph Collections

Pancake Hub of The Universe - Liberal, Kansas

Pancake Hub of The Universe - Liberal, Kansas by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?


Two attractive housewives of Liberal, Kansas, "Pancake Hub of the Universe" prepare to run the 415 yard course which starts at the well and ends at a church which is the similar course run by the women of Olney, England. Each year on Shrove Tuesday, the women of these two cities race, via stopwatch, in an International contest.

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I am not really sure where this photo was taken in Liberal. The view above is from the starting point of the Pancake Day race.

Liberal is still going strong. They don't claim to be the "Pancake Hub of the Universe" but they do still have Pancake Day and the race against Olney, England. Thanks to the International Pancake Day website for the following history:

Many people are familiar with Mardi gras celebrations on the day before Lent. But in Liberal, Kansas, the day before Lent means just one thing – it’s Pancake Day.

The friendly little competition between Liberal, Kansas, and Olney, England, with women running down the streets of each town flipping pancakes, has been going on for more than 60 years now. It is still the only race of its kind on the planet.

It all started in 1950 from a magazine picture of the Olney women racing each other to the church. Liberal Jaycee President R.J. Leete contacted the Rev. Ronald Collins, Vicar of St. Peter and St. Paul's church in Olney, challenging their women to race against women of Liberal.

In Olney, the Pancake Race tradition dates back more than 500 years to 1445. A woman engrossed in using up cooking fats (forbidden during Lent) was making pancakes. Hearing the church bells ring calling everyone to the shriving service, she grabbed her head scarf (required in church) and ran to the church, skillet and pancake in hand and still apron-clad. In following years, neighbors got into the act and it became a race to see who could reach the church first and collect a "Kiss of Peace" from the verger (bell-ringer.) The kiss is still the traditional prize in both races.

A few photos of some pancakes and the Pancake Day Museum from World's Largest Things:

World's Largest Pancakes

International Pancake Race Museum


Highlights from the 2011 race from both Olney and Liberal:



Sunday, December 11, 2011

Nampa Chief Motel - Nampa, Idaho

Nampa Chief Motel - Nampa, Idaho by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

2 blocks from downtown Nampa, Idaho 83651
908- 3rd St. So.
40 units, refrigerated air-conditioning, all tile bath with shower and tub, heated pool, TV and Room Phones, American Express and Hilton Carte Blanche Honored. ELITE DINING ROOM AND LOUNGE - COFFEE SHOP
AAA Approved. Member of the Best Western Motels.

The writing on the back says:
Arrived here
3 PM (MST)
July 4, 1967

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I knew for a fact that this motel was no longer the Nampa Chief. I grew up in two cities that basically sandwich Nampa - Caldwell and Meridian, Idaho. My father was raised in a house on 6th St. North. in fact, my grandmother still lives in that house. I don't how long the Nampa Chief has been gone, but I have no recollection of it being anything than a different motel.

Rush Street at Night - Chicago, Illinois

Rush Street at Night - Chicago, Illinois by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

Rush Street is the gay main artery of the near North Side. The well-lit mile of fun and frolic has every type of music for dancing and listening. The bands and singers provide thrilling entertainment from twilight to down.


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Doesn't even look the same. I did find some history and an even more interesting story you can read at the awesome Chicago Crime Scenes Project:

In its 1950s heyday, Rush Street was packed with upscale nightclubs, cafes, and dance halls that kept the near North side swinging. Besides the Cloister, the Bambu, the Tradewinds, Mr. Kelly's, and The Happy Medium were some of the most popular clubs, and in just about any given week, one could hear performers there who today would be considered legendary, if they weren't already then.

Over time, however, the neighborhood began a slow decline. In 1960, the owner of the Cloister Inn faced a lien on his establishment due to unpaid taxes, and he sold to a new group, which renamed the basement club "The Celebrity Lounge." Great musical acts, including trombonist Si Zentner and the King Fleming Trio continued to play the Maryland throughout the early 1960s.

By the late 1960s, however, the North Rush Street area had taken on a distinctive seediness, and the small size of the Maryland's rooms, in comparison with those of more luxurious modern hotels, made it an especially unwelcome host for business and entertainment travelers. In time, most of the rooms became occupied by long-term tenants, who paid around $175 per month. The Celebrity Lounge closed and a dirty go-go club, the Rush Over, re-opened in that space, while an oyster bar, Alfie's, inhabited the first floor restaurant space. Alfie's eventually converted to a disco in 1974, offering "Plastic hanging plants, leatherette swivel chairs, some plaid upholstery....pulsating strobe lights and a mirrored ball," in the words of the Tribune's unimpressed reviewer.

Like the old Cloister Inn, The Tradewinds and Mr. Kelly's also closed, and seedier establishments such as an adult movie house and The Candy Store -- the latter of which was a strip club and thinly-disguised brothel -- took over all along Rush during the 1970s.

By 1980, the decline of the Rush Street district was complete; it had become something of a skid row on the Northside, and the Maryland was falling apart, literally. Of the 300 rooms, only 50 were occupied in July, when the hotel was sold to a group of far-sighted investors, who renovated the buildilng, combining rooms to create 87 plush condos, and adding the distinctive bay windows visible on the bulding today. They moved the entrance around the corner to Delaware Street; the previous main entrance was on the Rush Street side, near where the entrance to the high-end fashion shop Intermix is now.

Their investment turned out well, though it took a few years. Today, the adult theaters and SRO hotels are gone from the area, replaced by couture stores like Ikram and expensive boutique hotels like the soon-to-open Elysian. There are few signs of the swinging days of the Cloister Inn and Celebrity Lounge here today. The upscale clubs two blocks north, centered around Rush and Bellevue Place (recently, though universally, known as the "Viagra Triangle" for the prevalence of graying divorced men throwing cash at bleached blondes), offer only a faint echo of those that once brought some of the greatest musicians in history to Chicago. The seediness of the 1970s and 1980s-era Rush Street can be experienced to some degree at the top end of Rush, at Division St., where streetwalkers and drug-pushers mix with boozy carousers every weekend.

The basement of 40 E. Delaware Place, where jazz once blasted from the stage at the Cloister Inn, now holds bicycle storage for the residents of the upscale condos.

The Shoremede - Miami Beach, Florida

The Shoremede - Miami Beach, Florida by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

AN ENTIRE OCEANFRONT BLOCK
35th to 36th St., Miami Beach, Fla.
Air-conditioned and heated - Olympic Pool - Wide Sand Beach - Dining Room - Cocktail Lounge - Free Parking on Premises - Open all Year.

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The Shoremede took up the entire oceanside block of Collins Ave. between 35th and 36th Streets. It was designed by architect Roy F. France for members of the Mead family and it opened on January 3, 1937. I can't find too much else. I get the feeling that the place was run by the mafia, for a time. It's long gone and so is a lot of its history.

The Abundant Life Building - Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Abundant Life Building - Tulsa, Oklahoma by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

1720 South Boulder
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Seven-story International Headquarters of the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, Inc., in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dedicated to the Glory of God and the proclamation of the gospel to the whole world.

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the view is not quite the same because this is the best view I could get using Google maps. Here's some great information on the building from the Historic Tulsa blog:

The Abundant Life Building was built in 1957 to house the Oral Roberts Ministries. It is very striking in its appearance because it has no windows. To make sense of the building requires at least a brief understanding of Oral Roberts.

Oral Roberts is an pentecostal minister and faith healer. He started his ministry as a pastor in the Pentecostal Holiness Church. He came to believe he had a special gift for spiritual healing. In April 1947, he began holding healing services in his church on Sunday afternoons. His reputation as a faith healer spread quickly and by May, the crowds were so large that he had to rent larger facilities. In June, he announced to his congregation that he had received invitations to conduct healing services in eight states and had decided to resign his pastorate. In 1949, he began a series of radio programs. By 1950, he was traveling the country with an 18,000-seat tent simultaneous broadcast on 63 stations. Within two years, his radio and television programs were being broadcast on 400 stations in the United States, Canada, Alaska and by short-wave to listeners around the world.

At the time the Abundant Life building was built Oral Roberts was raising literally millions of dollars through his traveling tent meetings and from radio and television solicitations. The name "Abundant Life" is a reference to the passage from the Gospel of John 10:10, "... I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly". This and other scriptural references are the basis of what is called "the gospel of prosperity" His life and ministry have been the subject of considerable controversy. He is regarded by some as a prophet and by others a fraud. Nevertheless, he and his ministry have prospered.

The Abundant Life building was the headquarters of this ministry and contained a large television sound stage which could simulate the tent meeting and film the opening and closing segments of the weekly broadcasts. This was also the destination for the large donations which supported the ministry. Much of this money was sent in the form of cash donations and the security considerations of handling and accounting for this money were implemented within this building.

The scale of donations provided for the establishment of a a Christian university which Roberts named for himself. In 1964 Oral Roberts University was opened on South Lewis. By the mid-70s the activities of the Abundant Life Building were transferred to the university and the original building was closed.

Southwestern Bell telephone used it for a time then but since the early 1980s it has been empty. It has changed hands several times but attempts to convert it into a multi-use facility have not gone anywhere. It remains empty at this time.

Friday, December 9, 2011

The Fairway Restaurant - Syracuse, New York

The Fairway Restaurant - Syracuse, New York by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

Fairmount Fair - W. Genesee St. cor. Onondoga Rd.
Tel. (315) HO 8-9757
Open 8:30 am - 9 pm Mon. - Fri.
Sat 8:30 am - 6 pm. Closed Sun. and Holidays. Complete menu for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner...featuring over 20 varieties of dinners, plus an abundance of tasty sandwiches. Choice of charbroiled steaks, chop and salads.

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The Fairway was one of the original establishments of the open-air Fairmount Fair which was incorporated into the closed mall later on. The mall shut down for good in 1994 (or so I can gather) and is now a Dick's Sporting Goods store. I found virtually nothing on the history of the Fairway Restaurant.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Sacajawea Inn - La Grande, Oregon

Sacajawea Inn - La Grande, Oregon by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?


Highway 30
La Grande, Oregon
100 Fireproof Guest Rooms - Ultra-Modern Coffee Shop & Dining Rooms - Sand N' Sage Lounge - Parking Lot - Tourist Information & Pamphlets
Phone WO 3-2104

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The Sacajawea Inn no longer stands and Google Maps doesn't have a view down Fir Street to show what the lot looks like now. However, I did find some great information from a 1996 application for the Sacajawea Annex (once attached to the Hotel) joining the National Register of Historic Places:

Julius Roesch (1862-1960), whose residence no longer stands. Roesch arrived in La Grande at the very point when the railroad was completed through the Grande Ronde Valley and a tangential grid aligned with the rail route was platted to become the new townsite. On the southern margin of Chaplin's Addition, where the new plat met the old at an angle, Roesch acquired hi complicated dealings between 1925 and 1927 the lots he would develop with a hotel.

Roesch embarked on a scheme to build a first class hotel that would rival a competitor's ill-fated project known as the La Grande Hotel. Roesch's seven-story Sacajawea Hotel of fireproof,
poured concrete and brick construction was completed in 1927. Three years later, the rival hotel having closed, Roesch expanded his own facility despite the stock market crash and impending economic depression. The Sacajawea Hotel served to the Post War period, at which time the advent of motels siphoned off trade. Its concrete framework made adaptation of interior space problematic. The original unit at a prime location of the main thoroughfare was demolished in 1970. Twenty years later, in 1990, the heirs of the original investor sold the Sacajawea Annex.

Betty's Restaurant and Lobo Lounge - Miami, Florida

Betty's Restaurant and Lobo Lounge - Miami, Florida by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?


1440 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, Florida
Most beautiful Cocktail Lounge. Your satisfaction is our success. Known for delicious and whole foods. COMPARE. Established 1931. Phone: 9-9426

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The quaint little restaurant and cocktail lounge has been replace by very Florida-looking (un-occupied) offices. it's a little sad, but not that surprising. Places like this don't survive in Miami.

Michigan Avenue - South Bend, Indiana

Michigan Street - South Bend, Indiana by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?


County seat of St. Joseph County, South Bend is located only 230 miles from the center of U.S. population and right in the heart of America's great inland Industrial Empire.

Mailed from South Bend, Indiana to Mr. & Mrs. D.W. McDowell & Family of St. Louis 18, Missouri on August 19, 1946:

Mon. eve.
Nice & cool here but plenty of sunshine. We went to Lake Michigan - at Benton Harbor, Mich - yesterday to swim. Went to Hammond Ind. today. Having a nice time. You forgot to give me that name. Mar.Mar. & I can;t remember it at all.
Love, Vernelle

Michigan Avenue - South Bend, Indiana by What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?

At the intersection of Jefferson Blvd. (looking north). Michigan Ave. is South Bend, Indiana's main street and is part of the Dixie Highway (U.S. 31).

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As you can see, most of downtown South Bend has changed. Very few, if any, businesses has survived since these postcards were taken. The first postcard is probably from the early 1940s and the second one is from the late 1950s/early 1960s.
I cannot find any information anywhere on what happened to the Richman's store on the right of both cards. The building is still standing but was horribly mangled in the 1980s and is now an ugly mish-mash of 80s red paint and stucco.
The columns you see on the first card are from the State theatre. The building is still standing but has been unoccupied for many years.