Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2019.

Gaiety Theatre, East Main Street, September 3, 1960

Artist Carroll H. Walker (American, 1904 - 1990)

CultureAmerican

DateSeptember 3, 1960

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsOverall, Image: 9 5/8 × 7 7/8 in. (24.4 × 20 cm)
Overall, Support: 9 7/8 × 8 in. (25.1 × 20.3 cm)

Credit LineGift of Carroll H. Walker

Object number67.40.139

Not on view

DescriptionPhotograph depicting a scene from Norfolk, VA.

Label TextVictoria Hotel, East Main Street, September 3, 1960, 1960 Gift of Carroll H. Walker 67.40.135 Gaiety Theatre, East Main Street, September 3, 1960, 1960 Gift of Carroll H. Walker 67.40.139 Looking East toward Church Street on Main Street from Commercial Place, April 5, 1959, 1959 Gift of Carroll H. Walker 67.40.186 Looking West on Main Street from Church and Main, April 5, 1959, 1959 Gift of Carroll H. Walker 67.40.150 Eminent domain laws ensured tavern and shop owners would be paid fair value when the Redevelopment Authority took over their land, but some felt their property had been undervalued. One tavern owner said he had invested $65,000 in his bar, but received only $2,800 from the city. In their heyday, the taverns did brisk business, employing about 10 people each and doing $50,000 in sales a year. Some tavern owners banded together in hopes of establishing new facilities on the water in the western part of downtown, but nearby residents resisted and the plans were abandoned. By the end of the 1970s, only four bars were operating in the area. When the bartenders were asked how they felt about the changes, one conceded, “You can’t stand in the way of progress.”