The usual cosmetic improvements were deployed to try and bring back some of the qualities that existed a century ago. There was a concerted effort to reverse course. More recently the city recognized the comparative advantage of its historic urban fabric which is back in fashion. And the ornate architecture of earlier eras was surpassed by a stripped down pragmatic mid century approach to building. The rise of automobiles meant older devalued buildings were pulled down and replaced with parking lots. Television meant people went to the movie theater a lot less often. Walking around you can see how the older downtown was incrementally modified to accommodate a new reality. What was a thriving commercial district and regional hub for the larger agricultural county in its heyday experienced a structural shift after World War II. Depending on which day and hour you arrive and which direction you point the camera you can say it’s either fair-to-middling or moribund. The historic downtown is a vestige of traditional small town Main Street America and has good bones. He established the town as the county seat and contributed to its early growth and economic development. The town was founded by a sea captain from Fairfield, Connecticut back in 1856. That is why I have decided to pin you with the prestigious “Captain Hindsight” award.” “ I am certainly not here to try and refute much of what you have brought to light, only to suggest that your comments are not in the least bit constructive on the whole. A reader recently made a comment I took seriously:
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