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EZ
Content Blueprint
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| E-1A-H2 | G-1C-H2 | H-1A-M4 |
| E-1B-M2 | G-1D-E2 | H-1B-E2 |
TIMEFRAME
Beginning in the mid-1950s, downtown commercial districts in
Louisiana's cities and small towns began to decline.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE DECLINE OF DOWNTOWN
The impact of the automobile
Downtown commercial districts were not designed for automobiles.
Downtown was also ill-equipped to serve the growing tourist
trade which the automobile created.
As early as the 1930s, the automobile gave town dwellers and
rural residents an opportunity to shop at larger commercial
centers offering more and better stores and better prices. As
a result, retailing in smaller communities suffered.
Seeking easier accessibility and/or room to expand, service
stations, automobile dealerships and motels began moving to
the outskirts of town after World War II.
Concerned over congested streets, insufficient parking, and
frustrated customers, in the 1950s merchants began relocating
to the outskirts of town and/or to strip malls located on roads
leading out of town.
Newly constructed interstate highways routinely by-passed downtowns,
with the result that downtown traffic decreased markedly. Downtown
businesses then moved to locations beside or near the interstate
to increase their profits.
The decline of farming
As the number of farming families declined and those who remained
on the land chose to travel to larger commercial centers to
conduct their business, small towns ceased to serve as agricultural
service and trading centers. One expert claims that for every
five farmers who abandoned farming, one small
business in the nearest town failed.
The
inability of downtown merchants to complete with the mass merchandizing
practices of chain stores
The introduction of universal credit
The increasing availability of credit cards meant that shoppers
were no longer restricted to a few local stores where they were
known and trusted.
The end of light industry in small towns
As machine production (usually located on the outskirts of cities) increased in importance, small town craft shops (such as manufacturers of wagons and furniture) went out of business.
The exodus of the rural population to cities in search of
jobs and an urban lifestyle.
RESULTS OF DOWNTOWN'S DECLINE:
The demolition of some downtown buildings in order to use the
land upon which they stood as parking lots for nearby buildings.
The updating of downtown shop fronts and building façades to
a more "modern" look. This included:
-
the modernization of the shopfront (second view of a modernized shopfront, thrid view of a modernized shopfront) -
the covering of all or part of the facade with panels made of aluminum or other "modern" materials (another view of a panel-covered facade)
