Hi again,
I just found some old photos of the Thrifty/Grabe block and posted
them in a folder in the "photos" section. Yes, now you can see the
older Art Deco facade on the Thrifty drug store building. I still
don't know what business it was back then.
I found the photos in the book "Jack Sheaffer's Tucson". The daytime
shots are from April 1958, with people jamming Congress for "Downtown
Value Days". Later that day, a helicopter flew overhead, dropping
ping-pong balls containing money and prizes. Unfortunately it flew
too high, and most of the balls landed on rooftops.
The night photo also shows people packing Congress, this time on the
Friday after Thanksgiving, 1955. They've come to see Santa Claus.
Note the abundant neon signage.
Carlos
--- In vanishingtucson@..., "mistercopacetic"
<mistercopacetic@y...> wrote:
Hello and welcome folks,
Remember the Pusch Building? Grabe Electric? Have you ever had a
cocktail at the Talk of the Town, or an ice cream cone at the Thrifty
Drug store? Ever hock your pearls or buy a .38 at Field's Jewelers
and Pawnbrokers? Regardless of which business you patronized, they're
all gone; demolished last September, 2004.
It happened so quickly, I didn't have a chance to get any pictures.
Apparently the demolition briefly exposed a 1930's Art Deco facade on
the Thrifty Drug store that few people remembered. If anyone has any
pictures of the businesses on that block, please scan and post them in
the "files" section. I have one recent picture there now. Please
share any history or remembrances by replying to this message.
To jog your memory... The Pusch Building was built in 1889 by
pioneer rancher George Pusch. It housed Grabe Electric for many
years. Charlie Makley, a member of John Dillinger's gang, was
arrested inside Grabe Electric looking at police radios. Later, the
building was occupied by the Talk of the Town restaurant up into the
1980s.
Does anyone know who occupied the buildings before Field's and Thrifty?
