Downtown Main Street Then & Now – Five Decades of Change

Can you remember how Downtown Main Street looked 50 years ago or even 13 years ago? Which of your favorite shops and restaurants were in business back then?

An exhibition at Photographic Design Gallery & Framing, 411 Sixth Street, will answer those questions and have you reminiscing about those special restaurants and shops. This extraordinary exhibit titled Downtown Main Street Then and Now: Five Decades of Change, put together by owners Brad Jaeck and Carol Hansen, includes three sets of photos– black and white images of Main St. in the early 70s, comparable color images from 2012 and current color images that show the same buildings today.

The black and white images from the early 70s were shot by Robert Hartmann, a Racine architect who has been involved with the design and preservation of Racine buildings for many years. He shot the images when he moved to Racine as reference for a design manual he prepared for restoring Downtown buildings. The recent photos show the efforts by organizations such as Downtown Racine Corporation to improve Racine’s Downtown.

According to Jaeck and Hansen, the challenge in the project was first shooting the current photos in the right lighting with as few cars as possible in the photos. The photos were then merged into full city blocks approximately 7 inches by 50 inches. Last, but certainly not least, was hanging the strips of photos to easily compare the changes through fifty years.

Looking back to 2012 when the first exhibit of comparative photos was hung, Jaeck and Hansen said it was the most popular exhibit they had ever had. Rather than end the exhibit in one month, the usual time period for an exhibit, it remained for six months because of its great interest to the community. Images of Zahns, Eitels and other popular shops brought back many fond memories, among other things, of special clothing purchases and other items. The men reminisced about the old cars.

The exhibit was expected to end on August 31st, but due to its popularity, it will remain on display through the end of September. Photographic Design is open 11 to 5 Fridays, 10 to 2 Saturdays and by appointment. For more information, please call 262-633-9899 or email photodesign411@gmail.com.