This is the first of two Then & Now posts that will appear in September.
The black & white photos show places in Winston-Salem at an earlier time, paired with a recent (color) photo of the same location. Dates are attached if available. See how the city has changed over the years.
This section of West Fourth Street in 1964 was treeless, therefore the buildings are clearly visible, even on a rainy day. Anchor Department Store occupies a portion of the 100 block on the right. The Pepper Building sports the Dewey’s Bakery sign. In the distance, the Wachovia Bank Building (now Winston Tower) is under construction. There are a variety of businesses in the block at the left, such as clothing and shoe stores, a jeweler, and an eatery. In the current photo, the trees on the sidewalk are definitely noticeable, as are the tables and chairs that are being set-up for eating alfresco. Merschel Plaza is in the former Anchor location, and the buildings adjacent to Anchor are gone. The Pepper Building is in the distance, but is not visible in the photo.
The photographer of this and the previous photograph walked up West Fourth Street and snapped a view looking west, toward J. C. Penney’s Department Store. In 1964, J. C. Penney’s was on the corner of Fourth and Marshall Streets. For the most part, the buildings beside Penney’s are unchanged, although the occupants have changed in many businesses. On the right, the entrance to Montaldo’s is marked by the half-circle covering the door. Today, that is the entrance to Aperture Theatre, with a similar door covering. J. C. Penney’s became the Rush and is currently undergoing construction.
The next time you walk into the Post Office on Town Run Lane, and you think that you might want a sandwich or a soft drink or a candy bar, just think about all the people who bought their lunch or snacks from the Wachovia Grill, previously located at the same site. Town Run Lane was formerly Trade Street, the disjointed section that picked-up at West Fourth Street and ran beside Davis Department Store. The through street was closed when the condo complex was constructed, and the remainder of the street from Third to Second Street was renamed Town Run Lane.
The 400 block of North Main Street in 1965 has been totally replaced, except for the Reynolds Building on the corner of Main and West Fourth Street (not in the photo). In the 1965 view, the left side of the photo shows a variety of businesses, all of which were replaced by One West Fourth and the parking deck. The right side of the 1965 photo shows the Downtown Garage and there is a service station on the corner. The RJR Plaza Building is at right in the current photo. In the distance on the right (then photo), the brick building is one of R. J. Reynolds’ factories. The Hanes factories are farther down on the right. The building on the corner of Main and West Fifth (northwest corner) is visible in both photos.
This is a view on Cherry Street from Fifth Street, looking north. The only recognizable building in the 1965 photo is the former City Market, now the Downtown School. The City Market is on the corner of Cherry and Sixth Street, on the right in the 1965 photo. This photo was made before the Benton Convention Center and parking decks on both sides of the street were built. Today the convention center is being revamped (notice the barrels on the street). There is a cross-over bridge from the convention center to the parking deck, shown in the recent photo. All the other buildings were removed.
The 1964 view of West Fifth Street, looking east, shows the buildings that were located in the block where the convention center was later built. Notice the one-way traffic, with all the cars heading west. The tall building at right is the Robert E. Lee Hotel. It was imploded and replaced with a newer hotel that today is the Embassy Suites Hotel. There was a Shell service station on the opposite corner from the hotel, and an Esso service station across the street. Today the trees on the street cover the view of the Embassy Suites Hotel. And, the Winston-Salem Journal building has grown to fill the space where the Shell station was located. The Esso service station lot is now used as a parking lot. Notice the Belk Department Store building just barely visible behind the Robert E. Lee Hotel. It was located on the corner of West Fifth and Trade Streets.
West Fourth Street was bustling with shoppers and cars in 1955, shown in this view from Cherry Street looking east. Traffic was one-way, and it appears parking on the street was allowed on the left side of the street. Some of the businesses on the left side of the street in the 200 block were Tiny Town, Ballerina Bootery, Hine’s Shoes, Jay’s Jewelry, Robins’ Clothing, Lynn Shops Lingerie, Tilley’s Beauty Shop, and Kaufman’s Clothing. The right side of the street consisted of Davis Department Store, City National Bank, Singer Sewing Machines, Bland’s Music Store, and Cahill and Swain Men’s Clothing. Today the trees hide many of the businesses from view, but they mostly consist of small eateries and a few other businesses. Winston Tower can be seen in the skyline, as well as One West Fourth Street.
Black & white images from Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection. Color images by Molly Grogan Rawls.
Stay tuned: Next historical post on September 15th…More Then & Now.
