This is the fifth of
twelve posts reporting recently discovered color photos of major Davis business
locations taken in the “transforming” period of Davis history. The context of
the photos is explained in DHT post number 155, “Twelve Color Photos of
‘50s-‘70s Transforming Davis: Series Introduction.”
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| 1. 2nd & E Looking Northwest Circa 1966 |
Snapshots numbers 5 and 6 form a somewhat different kind of
pair than the 10 shots forming the other five "time-lapse" pairs.
Rather than providing a block-long vista, this pair shows
only one corner of one block.
As can be seen, that constricted view is the northwest
corner of the intersection of 2nd on E streets.
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| 2. Circa '66, '71 Views & Today |
I speculate that this unusual narrowness arises from Mr.
Brinley’s financial interest in that corner. He owned the property we see and was
about to execute a major redevelopment of the corner property and the one next
to it to the north.
Enlargement and enhancement of the sign in graphic 1
featuring the words “CINEMA2” show the top line text to read “COMING IN
1967.”
The home we see at that corner is, in history jargon, referred
to as the “Grieve Home” and it was an important part of Davis history. Graphic
4 is a Special Collections post card picture of it dated 1911.
Graphic 5 reproduces a Davis Enterprise photo showing the
home’s demolition.
I think Graphic 5 is of special interest for the vast change
in attitudes it reveals about land use change in Davis. This Enterprise report (and dozens of others
in the ‘50s-‘70s) take demolition as an “of course” or even cheerful event that
signals imminent town improvement.
And as is well known, that view changed considerably and
toward the negative not many years later.
Graphic 6, showing the house to the north of the Grieve Home,
at 213 E, being moved, conveys that same ‘50s-‘70s exuberant view of “creative
destruction.”
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