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As noted before, the corner of Lincoln and Atlantic Streets has historically been the nucleus of Tullahoma’s business and professional activity, and remained so until well past the middle of the twentieth century. Here are a couple of more looks at that area from a different angle than previous installments of this series, these both looking westerly.

One is looking at the south side of Lincoln, anchored by the building now referred to as the Lincoln Street Business Center at 101 W. Lincoln. In our vintage photo from around 1960, that was the home of Traders National Bank, and the other buildings on that half-block were locally-owned retail businesses, with the exception of a Western Union office next to the bank. Now, Memories Antique Galleria is the only retail business.

On the opposite side of the street, this 1952 view of Tullahoma’s most-photographed corner shows Taylor’s Pharmacy on the corner and retail businesses down both N. Atlantic Street and W. Lincoln. That part of W. Lincoln now has only Clayton’s Shoes (in the same location as in 1952!) and 4 The Win Cigar Shop. On Atlantic, The Seafood Place is located where Sterling Stores once lived.

When looking at business areas of most downtowns, the early view is often more attractive than the current one. That’s not always the case, of course, especially if the old one showed a building in disrepair or the area in decline. Also, some owners have been sympathetic to their buildings’ original design when doing updates.

On the other hand, attractive downtown buildings are often remodeled with someone’s questionable ideas of style and are uglier for the trouble. Perhaps you have noticed a few in our “then and now” pictures. After viewing some of those, it’s easy to understand why some cities seek to have a historic overlay district to protect and preserve the historical aspects of their downtowns and historic neighborhoods. In a future article, we’ll discuss historic preservation and historic overlay districts in some depth.

In addition to these weekly articles, I’m working on a pictorial book on Tullahoma history with Arcadia Publishing, due to publish early next year. Do you have stories and photos of old Tullahoma businesses, street scenes, or events that you would share? You can contact me at alanmayes@lighttube.net.