Norfolk History

[ronsmytheiii]

The old Maritime building, Sorry but MacArthur looks a lot better

http://www.rkpuma.co...6guythumb5A.htm

Edited December 2, 2009 by ronsmytheiii

[urbanlife]

I remember watching that building coming down. Much like the building that they tore down on Plume near St Paul, I was happy to see both go.

[skylinefan]

I remember when they tore down this building too! Wow what a memory.

[ronsmytheiii]

I remember when they tore down this building too! Wow what a memory.

I do believe it was an implosion, pictures:

http://www.npl.lib.v...chives/mac.html

Edited December 3, 2009 by ronsmytheiii

[ronsmytheiii]

My favorite picture of downtown:

I hope she comes back one day

http://virginiaimages.com/catalog/norfolk_skylines-and-waterfront-scenes_ss-united-states.html

[varider]

I'm lovin' the photos, man!

That must have been the late 50s or 60s?

[ronsmytheiii]

I'm lovin' the photos, man!

That must have been the late 50s or 60s?

the SMA demolition was Sunday, 24 November 1996.

SS United States was 1980

[varider]

Oh dumb me, i didn't see the stamp on the pic.

I was thinkin' it was earlier. I thought Dominion tower was built in the 70s.

[usermel]

F.Y.I gals/guys. Dominion Tower was completed in 1992. I remember when I was in High school it was under construction. Check skyscraperpage.com for info on buildings such as year built/completed etc.! Also, the SMA building was a distant memory to me until this picture above. I almost forgot about the bottom of it. I remember the huge parking lot for years and that SMA symbol on top. Seeing people go in and out of that building on visits to family in Youngs Park/Tidewater Park. Seeing old pictures does show MUCH improvement in Norfolkd downtown. The only constant has been the proejcts and low income areas and Ghent sections!!!! Mac Arthur and the other additions(homes behind MacArthur) have a better effect to that section so ,I agree with the member who stated MacArtur is much better looking in that sopt! Hopefully, they will keep growing the city and spread out the downtown area more because the pictures show some spread especially the Marriott and Dominion Tower and a couple others absent in the 1980 picture. The 1980 picture gives alot of perspective! <br><br>WOW! some progress and some change, just at a snail pace!!! L.G.N.M

Edited December 3, 2009 by usermel

[usermel]

Oh MAN, no Norfolk Southern building in the 1980 picture either! Our skyline then was barely one with about 5 talls and one over 20 stories(Bank of America)! I know the Bank of A was a site when it first went up in Norfolk. I t was the signature building of its time when it went up because it was the first tall over 20 stories and in the 1980 picture it stands out more than today as the center of the downtown Norfolk skyline!!! L.G.N.M

[varider]

the pictures show some spread especially the Marriott and Dominion Tower and a couple others absent in the 1980 picture. The 1980 picture gives alot of perspective! <br><br>WOW! some progress and some change, just at a snail pace!!! L.G.N.M

Don't forget Norfolk Southern, Dominion Enterprises, 150 W. Main [sunTrust], Wells Fargo. All at least 20 flors.

[urbanlife]

Norfolk 1952 (Just a link case the image wouldnt post here.)

Norfolk 1965

Norfolk 1984-ish

Norfolk 2009 (Same goes with this one, just a link.)

That should definitely give a good timeline of how Norfolk has changed as a city...though I am very vocal about my disapproval of how much of the city's own history it has destroyed, it is good to see a much denser downtown than what was there 25 years ago.

Edited December 3, 2009 by urbanlife

[ronsmytheiii]

Norfolk 1984 looks like more of a parking lot than a city.... we have come quite a way

[carolinaboy]

I remember the SMA (I think) building from the 1984-ish picture. However, I do not recognize or remember the white and black building to the left of Bank of America tower (looks like it has a blue sign on the top) in that picture. What was that building and why was it torn down (if it was)? Anyone know the history?

[urbanlife]

I remember the SMA (I think) building from the 1984-ish picture. However, I do not recognize or remember the white and black building to the left of Bank of America tower (looks like it has a blue sign on the top) in that picture. What was that building and why was it torn down (if it was)? Anyone know the history?

I vaguely know the answer to this. The black and white building you are referring to is much older than it looks in that picture...it was and old brick facade building that was later renovated with a new look, which you see in this picture. Today, a larger bank building sits in its place...my guess would be that when the bank wanted to build themselves a new building, it made more sense for them to tear down this building instead of renovating it and making it apart of the new building on the lot adjacent to it. I will do some looking into it tonight to see if I can get a more detailed answer...unless someone else beats me to the punch.

[jbhay]

urbanlife: THANK YOU for that incredible picture of Norfolk circa '84. I've been aching to find a really good picture like that to see how the city looked before MacArthur. My childhood memory doesn't serve me very well in that area. I cannot believe how different it looks today!

[skylinefan]

I vaguely know the answer to this. The black and white building you are referring to is much older than it looks in that picture...it was and old brick facade building that was later renovated with a new look, which you see in this picture. Today, a larger bank building sits in its place...my guess would be that when the bank wanted to build themselves a new building, it made more sense for them to tear down this building instead of renovating it and making it apart of the new building on the lot adjacent to it. I will do some looking into it tonight to see if I can get a more detailed answer...unless someone else beats me to the punch.

I think it was called the Seaboard Bank Building. It was only 20 something years old when the city imploded it. I think the building dates to 1970. I will check on this though.

[skylinefan]

I am 48 years old so I am way old enough to remember Downtown Norfolk in 1984. The focus of Downtown back then was Waterside and Town Point park. It was very exciting when Waterside opened up the year before. Besides Scope and Chrysler Hall and maybe work, Waterside was the only draw for people like myself to venture from Va. Beach to Downtown.

[virginia pe]

I remember the SMA (I think) building from the 1984-ish picture. However, I do not recognize or remember the white and black building to the left of Bank of America tower (looks like it has a blue sign on the top) in that picture. What was that building and why was it torn down (if it was)? Anyone know the history?

It was the First American Bank Building. It was demolished in 1988. I watched the demolition from the Norfolk Southern Tower, which was under construction at that time. I had a videotape of the implosion until my teenaged son taped over it to record some movie he saw on TV.

First American Bank was taken over by First Union, which became Wachovia, and is now Wells Fargo.

The buildling was demolished to make room for the One Bank Street Tower. About midway through construction, One Bank Street went bankrupt. It was finally taken over by another developer, and it is now 300 Main Street Tower, or USI Tower, the office building with the dark glass at the corner of Main and Atlantic, across from BofA.

I don't know why that specific building was demolished. Many buildings of that vintage were functionally obsolete. They were not designed to be energy efficient, so they were very expensive to operate. There were more interior columns, so office layout was difficult and inefficent. The bathrooms were small and dingy. The elevators were also very small. Sometimes, they only had one stairway. These older buildings could not compete against the glitzy new office buildings being built, and correcting these deficiencies required major renovations. Often, they were down-graded to Class B space, and most banks feel that being in Class B space hurts their image. It was more cost effective to demo them and build a new, modern building, so down they came.

[usermel]

I slightly remember that building and I was just about to turn 11 in 1984, great year for me in terms of sports anyway. Remember like it was yesterday how Waterside had the area in a trance and it was always packed then. Downtown Norfolk has had so much change about it. Not just the buildings that are gone and what replaced them as well as the new ones added that have made it more dense. What I see is the change in how Norfolk's downtown is used. In the early days(1920's-early 1970's) of Norfolk it was were people went to live/work/shop/party and Norfolk had a strong population to match when the city was over 300,000 people.

Then when the urban renewal started you saw downtown become an afterthought as Va Beach and Chesapeake began to gain residents and add malls over the years and homes all over for people to live in when they escaped the rebuilding city. Granby Sreet gained and lost shops over the years and now again is a spot were youth as well as older adults go for a night out! The MacArthur Center is a HUGE sign of the times as well. A mall downtown Norfolk would never had been imagined when I was 11. WOW, LIFE is weird and so unpredictable. Now in my 30's I look back at these pictures and see the good decisions the city of Norfolk has made and those decisions at the time that seemed good but, have turned for the worse in 2009 such as Waterside. I don't blame the city at all. The pictures show CHANGE and thats what I see more and more as I view 1952 Norfolk and on and on. Its not that Norfolk has made horrible choices its time that dictates if what was once needed is still relevant!

I miss Waterside being the spot but, have to accept the fact its done, unless they come up with something that excites the young adults(18-34) of today. WOW,very emotional pictures for me. I was a kid skinny and green about life in 1984. Today im older of course and gained weight as adults do and see the time between via these pictures. Pictures are special and a great invention. GREAT PICTURES!!!L.G.N.M

[varider]

I'm loving this history lesson, ha.

But these pictures are great, and the 2009 one is missing SunTrust and that high rise apartment/condo tower right next to Nauticus.

[brikkman]

Those pictures reminds me of some buildings when I was younger. In 1984, I was 5, I remember a lot of DT as I lived in huntersville during the time. I remember when Downtown Norfolk Plaza was bustling. We use to always go to this store, I think my mom was making payments on something she had brought for my grandmother. I remember the woolworth on granby street (on the corner i believe). They use to have these tall mirrors hanging from the ceiling. One day we were in there, and I do not know if it was a hurricane or a bad storm, but it shook the entire building and the mirrors started falling down. I think they use to have one of those old time cafe's in there as well. I remember grabbing some food. I also remember a building I believe it was on Boush, but it was home to Commonwealth College, my mom graduated from there. For years you could see the imprint of the college logo on the building after they moved. Right next to that, was that building they demo-ed for Granby Street tower leasing mobile home building. Always thought that was a nice building. I remember when MacAurther Center was a parking lot, huge parking lot. Waterside was the stuff, it was just vibrant. We use to go and get ice-cream. Man, can't say I miss it, but those are some good memories.

[usermel]

Yeah Brikkman, I feel you. These pictures bring back some good and bad memories for me as well. I like you try to FOCUS on the good memories as well. Norfolk has changed as I have like the whole metro. I had to go to VA Beach the other day and seen so much growth as well. Chesapeake is also a great example of the growth locally as well. The Downtown area 2009 picture like another member said is missing more buildings as well so the growth isnt all in the picture. I guess Im used to seeing what we have now and couldnt see how far Norfolk has come like my life. I see my LIFE has come a long way from abused kid to the great LIFE I have now(thank THE ONE) but, hadnt looked at my city of birth in the same way. Norfolk has done some great changing over the last 30-40 years. It may take a while to get the signature building(30-45 stories high) we need or a few of them but, we have did some good things like light rail as well. Seeing the trains as a rode on the interstate to downtown from Va Beach was crazy. We will have light rail. WOW!!!!!

My grandmother and so many friends and family never saw the improvements we are seeing. Im humbled and fortunate to be alive to see my hometown try and become the city it was and is meant to be! Great pictures fellow memebers and emotional for me as well, in a good way that is!!!! L.G.N.M

Edited December 4, 2009 by usermel

[skylinefan]

Granby St. 1953 during Virginia's 350th Anniversary.

[varider]

Great picture.

Do any of you ever notice in old pictures of Granby, you always see sailors? And they are always in uniform? Did Norfolk not have any office workers back then? I guess not, looking at the picture from '52.

Now on a walk down Granby you encounter office workers in suits, casual people on there way to class at TCC, residents, people eating, etc.. Norfolk has come a long way from the sleepy naval town of the mid-20th century.