A Look Inside

Presenting 1821 South Main Street:

The entrance is on the right where that small tree is optimistically growing. The unmarked shop with half-open blinds between Viva Cellular and my entrance is El Sombrero Restaurant from my previous post. The operating hours are still confusing, and there are sometimes men loitering outside-- occasionally inebriated, generally harmless enough.

The building was completed in 1928, fifteen years after the completion of the Rutland Hotel Apartments next door.

Inside 1821 South Main Street:

The giant mural that lines this wall is somewhat contrary to the "dignified" Art Deco lobby in the Rutland, but it has grown on me. I like walking past the row of images and being reminded of the events this building has stood through, what its past tenants witnessed.

Completion in 1928

Completion of the Orpheum Theater on Broadway, 1958

Vietnam War, 1973

The events catalogued by the mural go on. There are more (equally poor quality) photos on Flickr.

From my research at Central Library, it doesn't seem like the buildings were ever associated with anything particularly important. I guess I can attribute the existence of this and other buildings like it to pre-Depression era optimism. It's a shame that segregation lines probably destroyed chances of further development, though the gentrification that is slowly happening now is an interesting issue in itself.