Very interesting video here: vintage Ingles and Sky City. This was a much older style of Sky City than what I was familiar with, which had a much more modern logo. This store looks to have been one of the 60's or ealry 70's models. A similar Ingles/Sky City arrangement was common in Georgia and North Carolina, but it also existed in Tennessee. Check out some of the other videos from the author of the Rose's during demolition in Morristown. The creator of this video is also the photographer of the lone photo currently available online of a Sky City store.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Mount Berry Square: Rome, GA
A previous post I made detailed Riverbend Mall, the predecessor to Mount Berry Square. From that post, I basically detailed how Mount Berry Square was directly responsible for the death of that mall when this mall opened in 1991. Built by Crown America, then owner of Hess's, this mall today is a troubled mall in a very odd location. Mount Berry Square is named as such for Berry College close the mall and Lavender Mountain to the north and west, thus the "Mount". Mount Berry Square was isolated when it was built, and today remains just as isolated. Basically, it is located about 2-3 miles north of Rome beyond Berry College near Armuchee and is located a considerable distance north of the by-pass. Shoppers must drive past the college campus to get to the mall. In fact, chain retail stores are few in number around the mall, and what stores are there are all located on outlots of the mall. While it maintains three major department store anchors, it was a poorly conceived and poorly planned mall that has never been completely successful, though it has maintained an A-list tenant roster since it is today the only mall in the city.
When Mount Berry Square opened, its anchor stores were Hess's, Belk Rhodes, JCPenney and Sears. JCPenney jumped ship from Riverbend Mall the minute this mall opened, but both Belk Rhodes and Hess's maintained stores at both malls for a time since their leases had not yet expired at Riverbend. This was problematic for the new mall as stores at Riverbend did not leave right away, meaning the mall was mostly empty when it opened aside from the anchors. However, it was not lost on the stores still at Riverbend that the mall was looking old, cramped, dated and had a history of costly, unpleasant things such as floods. The problem was that stores in Riverbend did not all go to Mount Berry Square by default. A few remained until the end and many others relocated to nearby strip malls or standalone locations in lieu of Mount Berry. As a result, Mount Berry never completely filled up. To say the mall is on death watch is a bit ironic since the mall has never been a really big hit. Maybe the mall is just too big.
In 1992, Mount Berry saw its first anchor change as Hess's was sold to Proffitt's. Proffitt's, however, was not at all interested in the old Riverbend location forcing Bon-Ton, which purchased Hess's northern division to take over the remainder of the lease at that store. Later in the 1990's, Toys 'R' Us and Circuit City both found homes on the available outlots. A couple other restaurants are found on outlots, but not of the variety of usual malls such as Applebee's, Red Lobster and Chili's: all of which are found near, you guessed it, old Riverbend Mall. The next anchor change came in 1998 when Belk Rhodes dropped the Rhodes family partnership to become a company Belk store. The 1990's were the peak success of the mall, though it can never truly be said it was raging. The part of the mall near Belk has many stores that were never occupied.
Similar to Bradley Square Mall, Mount Berry had a quirky design. Both Proffitt's and JCPenney were built with two mall entrances accessable both from the main mall and the front entrance wing. The mall was typical 90's in design with light tones and very shiny faux marble floor tiles. The center court has a large fountain with muted planters, and a carousel forms the center of the front court. The mall also has a built-in food court, which is only about 50 percent full. The mall also contains a few other planters with trees, which were last common in malls built in the early 90's. No part of the mall has two levels, not even the anchors. In all it is a pretty standard mall for the time it was built, and the major advantage it held over Riverbend was size, a contemporary design and...no risk of flooding. Few other building sites in Rome proper are not at risk of a devastating flood, and the entire downtown sits directly in the flood plain.
This mall, unlike Riverbend, is very front facing. There is absolutely nothing behind the mall. It is very much oriented facing US 27, yet there are still back entrances and ample parking behind the mall. After the 1990's, the mall pretty much was holding its own until 2006 when Proffitt's was sold to Belk. Belk suddenly had two stores at the mall: the last time two Belk stores operated in Rome since the Riverbend overlap. Apparently, the lack of sales and traffic in the mall drove Belk to quickly abandon this arrangement, closing its second store in 2008. Now, the mall faces a vacant anchor with few potential tenants and a bad economy. In fact, the mall has very recently actually seen a decline in inline stores: especially on the Sears wing. In addition, Circuit City closed their location at the mall with the rest of the chain.
Today, Mount Berry has an uncertain future. Now 18 years old and on a national list of malls in danger of failure, the mall has much working against it and not enough for it. The only reason it has survived this long is due to the lack of any other legitimate mall options in the city. If anything resembling a mall or lifestyle center with department store anchors opened closer to the city, the chances of survival would be dismal. As it is, the mall has had difficulties due to the redevelopment of Riverbend Mall. While the old mall is today a strip center, it features many tenants normally found in or around malls. In addition, the majority of retail in Rome remains situated near Riverbend Mall. The fact that the big box stores have never moved closer to Mount Berry has always hurt the mall. In all, it seems to have been built assuming the retail chains would all move closer to embrace it. That just did not happen. The bright side is that at present no new major shopping centers have been planned in the area.
The reality of the mall having to redevelop partially or completely in the future is quite high. This is not lost on the mall as they have placed a large banner and comment card offering the public suggestions of what they would like to see in the mall. The reality is that Rome does not have a strong economy on its own, and many people commute to Atlanta for work. If this was not the case, the mall would be in better shape. Mount Berry is not located in an area that takes advantage of that. In fact, what keeps the mall alive for the most part is the fact the city has three colleges, and much of their business comes from high school and college-age students. This is why what is in business in the mall tends to be A-list, and youth is the most important demographic in higher end retail.
The food court in the mall has always struggled with vacancies, and opened basically empty. Today, it features a few restaurants that fill about 40-50% of the possible tenants. This food court is just too far from most of the core market lunch crowd.
Mount Berry in the future will go one of three ways. It will either maintain status quo for several more years to come, the mall will see a renaissance due to a renovation and interest in the currently vacant stores or it will succumb to competition that does not currently exist. Of course, there is also the possibility the mall may just die with no close competition, but if so that would be a symptom of a greater problem (such as a complete economic collapse). Any way you look at it, I have cause to be concerned about the future of this mall. While I think it is a decent and relatively attractive mall, I think it is in dire need of renovation and I think it does not adequately serve the needs of the area. Maybe I am wrong, but this mall is not in a favorable position.
When Mount Berry Square opened, its anchor stores were Hess's, Belk Rhodes, JCPenney and Sears. JCPenney jumped ship from Riverbend Mall the minute this mall opened, but both Belk Rhodes and Hess's maintained stores at both malls for a time since their leases had not yet expired at Riverbend. This was problematic for the new mall as stores at Riverbend did not leave right away, meaning the mall was mostly empty when it opened aside from the anchors. However, it was not lost on the stores still at Riverbend that the mall was looking old, cramped, dated and had a history of costly, unpleasant things such as floods. The problem was that stores in Riverbend did not all go to Mount Berry Square by default. A few remained until the end and many others relocated to nearby strip malls or standalone locations in lieu of Mount Berry. As a result, Mount Berry never completely filled up. To say the mall is on death watch is a bit ironic since the mall has never been a really big hit. Maybe the mall is just too big.
Looking at the inside of the mall entrance on the Belk wing.
A look along the Belk wing of the mall. The mall is typical early 90's fare with a mostly whitewashed looks and a few well-placed plants and trees. They really went on the cheap with skylights, though. The Belk wing has always struggled and had few tenants even during its peak years.
After the Rhodes sign was removed off of Belk Rhodes, the facade was left with many holes. Nevertheless, from a distance the sign looks decent, and at least it was centered properly.
JCPenney has a mall entrance on the Belk wing, but not the ONLY mall entrance. The other comes off the front court across from the former Proffitt's.
Looking back into the mall from the JCPenney mall entrance.
In 1992, Mount Berry saw its first anchor change as Hess's was sold to Proffitt's. Proffitt's, however, was not at all interested in the old Riverbend location forcing Bon-Ton, which purchased Hess's northern division to take over the remainder of the lease at that store. Later in the 1990's, Toys 'R' Us and Circuit City both found homes on the available outlots. A couple other restaurants are found on outlots, but not of the variety of usual malls such as Applebee's, Red Lobster and Chili's: all of which are found near, you guessed it, old Riverbend Mall. The next anchor change came in 1998 when Belk Rhodes dropped the Rhodes family partnership to become a company Belk store. The 1990's were the peak success of the mall, though it can never truly be said it was raging. The part of the mall near Belk has many stores that were never occupied.
A look along the Sears wing, which looked way emptier than the last time I visited.
This Sears store anchors the north end, and is relatively successful. Much of the mall business was found on this end until recently. This store moved from a free-standing location south of downtown when the mall opened.
Toward the center of the mall, the mall appears to have the most life. Here, an American Eagle joins several other A-class tenants situated mostly between the Penney's and former Proffitt's in the main mall corridor. The former Proffitt's entrance is to the right.
Proffitt's former entrance comes off the Sears wing, but like JCPenney it also has a mall entrance in the front court. This store also operated briefly as Hess's and at the last as a short-lived second Belk store.
Similar to Bradley Square Mall, Mount Berry had a quirky design. Both Proffitt's and JCPenney were built with two mall entrances accessable both from the main mall and the front entrance wing. The mall was typical 90's in design with light tones and very shiny faux marble floor tiles. The center court has a large fountain with muted planters, and a carousel forms the center of the front court. The mall also has a built-in food court, which is only about 50 percent full. The mall also contains a few other planters with trees, which were last common in malls built in the early 90's. No part of the mall has two levels, not even the anchors. In all it is a pretty standard mall for the time it was built, and the major advantage it held over Riverbend was size, a contemporary design and...no risk of flooding. Few other building sites in Rome proper are not at risk of a devastating flood, and the entire downtown sits directly in the flood plain.
The mall map is shown here. Note the dual entrances for the former Proffitt's and JCPenney. The mall is a pretty straightforward design, and definitely offered much more in terms of space and anchors to Riverbend. The problem is, much of this space is not being used, and the mall today has the same amount of anchors of its predecessor in the early 1990's.
This mall, unlike Riverbend, is very front facing. There is absolutely nothing behind the mall. It is very much oriented facing US 27, yet there are still back entrances and ample parking behind the mall. After the 1990's, the mall pretty much was holding its own until 2006 when Proffitt's was sold to Belk. Belk suddenly had two stores at the mall: the last time two Belk stores operated in Rome since the Riverbend overlap. Apparently, the lack of sales and traffic in the mall drove Belk to quickly abandon this arrangement, closing its second store in 2008. Now, the mall faces a vacant anchor with few potential tenants and a bad economy. In fact, the mall has very recently actually seen a decline in inline stores: especially on the Sears wing. In addition, Circuit City closed their location at the mall with the rest of the chain.
Looking along the front entrance wing toward the center court and food court.
Now I'm looking toward the front court and carousel. It seems carousels were as essential in 90's malls as fountains in 80's malls.
A full shot of the carousel.
The carousel with the front court Penney's entrance on the right.
Next to the former Proffitt's is this very hopeful banner on an empty storefront asking local citizens what they would like to see at the mall. Their heart is in the right place, and I hope it works. A junior Dillard's would be nice in the old Proffitt's and Best Buy in the old Circuit City.
To the left of the closed Proffitt's front court entrance is this abandoned restaurant. It is impossible to tell what this was, and it looks to have been closed for quite awhile.
The empty front court Proffitt's entrance. Very depressing indeed. This store was open, alive and assumed well only three years prior before the buyout.
Today, Mount Berry has an uncertain future. Now 18 years old and on a national list of malls in danger of failure, the mall has much working against it and not enough for it. The only reason it has survived this long is due to the lack of any other legitimate mall options in the city. If anything resembling a mall or lifestyle center with department store anchors opened closer to the city, the chances of survival would be dismal. As it is, the mall has had difficulties due to the redevelopment of Riverbend Mall. While the old mall is today a strip center, it features many tenants normally found in or around malls. In addition, the majority of retail in Rome remains situated near Riverbend Mall. The fact that the big box stores have never moved closer to Mount Berry has always hurt the mall. In all, it seems to have been built assuming the retail chains would all move closer to embrace it. That just did not happen. The bright side is that at present no new major shopping centers have been planned in the area.
Center court is open, airy, lush and features this basic but attractive fountain.
The reality of the mall having to redevelop partially or completely in the future is quite high. This is not lost on the mall as they have placed a large banner and comment card offering the public suggestions of what they would like to see in the mall. The reality is that Rome does not have a strong economy on its own, and many people commute to Atlanta for work. If this was not the case, the mall would be in better shape. Mount Berry is not located in an area that takes advantage of that. In fact, what keeps the mall alive for the most part is the fact the city has three colleges, and much of their business comes from high school and college-age students. This is why what is in business in the mall tends to be A-list, and youth is the most important demographic in higher end retail.
The food court in the mall has always struggled with vacancies, and opened basically empty. Today, it features a few restaurants that fill about 40-50% of the possible tenants. This food court is just too far from most of the core market lunch crowd.
Mount Berry in the future will go one of three ways. It will either maintain status quo for several more years to come, the mall will see a renaissance due to a renovation and interest in the currently vacant stores or it will succumb to competition that does not currently exist. Of course, there is also the possibility the mall may just die with no close competition, but if so that would be a symptom of a greater problem (such as a complete economic collapse). Any way you look at it, I have cause to be concerned about the future of this mall. While I think it is a decent and relatively attractive mall, I think it is in dire need of renovation and I think it does not adequately serve the needs of the area. Maybe I am wrong, but this mall is not in a favorable position.
Shown here are exterior shots of the smaller mall entrance into the Belk Rhodes wing and the main sign on US 27. Note that there is not much in the way of retail development across the street.
Here is a look at the outside of the lost anchor, Proffitt's. How I wish I had gotten a mall entrance photo!
Here is a look at all the anchors today fron the outside. A previous shot of the Proffitt's was included on my Proffitt's post. The door to the former Proffitt's still says "Welcome to Proffitt's" despite being a second Belk briefly.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Alpine Helen
Helen, GA is one of the most interesting developments to ever occur to a town. The retail-tourist attraction apparently got its start in the 1960's when area businessman got together to turn a derelict town into a Bavarian-themed tourist attraction that remains one of Georgia's premier tourist attractions today. While the town saw most of its development occur in the early 1970's, it was an era when experiements in retail, architecture and tourism often failed the test of time. Helen, however endures and remains contemporary into the 21st century.
With this post, I am sure you wonder why I am covering a town that has nothing to do with malls or major retail chains: in fact, the chains in the town are not so dominant. The fact is that "retail" is a term to apply to anything that is the result of a business selling goods directly to consumers. Retail as we know it pretty much did not completely leave downtown until the mid-to-late 1970's, and the lifestyle center phenomenon very strongly reflects a desire of many to have a downtown-styled shopping environment. In addition, themed developments have become very popular in today's day in age. Helen has everything a lifestyle center would want: a quaint downtown appearance, safe, less conspicuous parking, a distinct classic theme, broad appeal and attractive landscaping and architecture. The one thing Helen doesn't have so much is the generic chain stores and restaurants found in most lifestyle centers. Local stores became firmly rooted in the town early on with the chains adding on later.
The theme of Helen has resulted in a town that looks nothing like anything else anywhere in the Eastern US. The closest thing to it in the state is the more spartan Bavarian look of Avondale Estates east of Atlanta. Today, the buildings in the town have actually changed little, though much has been added since the original town was created. The creation of the town also resulted in significant condo, timeshare and resort development in the immediate vicinity. Nearby Skylake is a gated community that appeared around the time of Helen. The town's premier feature, though, is the Chattahoochee River which is near its source in the Georgia mountains and flows through the heart of town as a clear mountain stream. The river annually draws escapees from the heat and a steady flow of people in inner tubes during the summer. While the Chattahoochee offers recreation downstream, it is much swifter and much nastier than the clear stream through Helen.
Throughout the 80's, the enormous crowds drawn to the town resulted in much new development in the valley of Helen. Several motels were constructed, a water park was added and a small outlet mall all were built south of downtown. Like the main part of town, all of this new development was designed strictly on the German-Bavarian theme. Small wedding chapels also became a prominent feature of the town because of its charm. The town also features many local restaurants, some which have been around since the 70's. In terms of restaurants, Cafe International is one of those, and has continued to attract huge business for 35 years. Originally a cheese and wine tasting place, this restaurant is popular for its covered deck overlooking the river. The restaurant serves German food and beer mixed with some continental fare. Their Reuben is one of the best in the state.
Aside from Cafe International, at least five restaurants are found in the downtown as well as some local bakery and fudge shops. Fast food may also be found there including Wendy's, Huddle House and Blimpie south of the downtown. The themed Huddle House is a real treat. A KFC also once operated in the town, but it closed in the 1990's. In all, the place feels somewhat like Gatlinburg with less gimmick and more style. In other words, don't expect to be ripped off at Ripley's Believe It or Not here, though there is at least one putt putt golf course to drop a few bucks at.
While Helen is in the North Georgia Mountains, it is hardly in true mountains. The elevations of nearby peaks generally do not reach 4,000 ft. and the climate is only somewhat milder than the Atlanta area except in the deep cool coves graced with hemlocks and rhododendrons that make that area so popular. Because of this, the more typical Southern weather has threatened the livelihood of Helen more than once. The first was in 1994 when an F3 tornado barely missed the town, wiping out the House of Tyrol to the south near Mt. Yonah. This was a two story structure built with the same Bavarian theme found in Helen. It was a very attractive structure and had been recently built. It also had a very sturdy steel structure holding it in place. The beams and tremendous debris were all that remained after the storm.
Mother Nature hit closer the second time when in 2005, Hurricane Katrina left its mark on the state through a series of moderate tornadoes. One hit the east side of Helen with a strength of F2, severely damaging the outlet mall, one of the hotels and effectively wiping out many trees in the area. Luckily, the more sheltered downtown area was not at all affected and the tornado did not have the long path of destruction that the 1994 storm did.
Helen had far reaching effects in the region when it was built. The design of the town led to many Bavarian-styled cabins cropping up in various developments during the early 70's. Helen-styled (I call it) homes appeared as far away as Pickens County and generally scattered through the large resort developments that appeared around the same time throughout the hills. The peak of popularity of the town was by and large from the early-80's to the mid-90's when tremendous crowds stormed the town in the summer and fall, choking traffic in the town as money flowed in from the ever increasing stream of Atlanta tourists and wealth. In 1982, the DOT even renumbered an existing highway (SR 356) as an alternate route of SR 75 around the city to guide through traffic away from the congestion. Undoubtably, the presence of the best hiking and mountain scenery in Georgia nearby helped nurse those crowds along as well.
Helen today exists along a wider assortment of options as nearby Western North Carolina and once more remote Union and Towns Counties both began to draw more of the crowds that previously stopped short at Helen. Improvements to highways into those areas increased the options, but also it has made Helen more accessible to Atlanta. Today, it is possible to drive to Helen directly from Atlanta quickly via SR 400 and SR 115. Additionally, the Helen valley has seen a maturing of the development that occurred through the 1980's. Today, very little new development is taking place in the town with new construction mostly away from SR 75. In addition, the aging condition of the distinctly designed 1938 arch bridge in downtown is scheduled for an eventual replacement, which would indeed disrupt the town and erase the centerpiece of its history.
Regardless, the good of this is that the town has remained attractive and unique without changing its look. A beautiful rock fountain now graces the center of town as well as plants and flowers that front the downtown. The growth of Atlanta has also put the population closer to the once remote town than ever before, keeping business alive and well even during the week. Today, it is indeed becoming a place of family traditions. I noted how my parents were my age when they first came there and how I am still coming there at least once or twice a year. Of course, when I come I am either there just to pass through or sit and have another Reuben sandwich overlooking the river: it is so worth it.
With this post, I am sure you wonder why I am covering a town that has nothing to do with malls or major retail chains: in fact, the chains in the town are not so dominant. The fact is that "retail" is a term to apply to anything that is the result of a business selling goods directly to consumers. Retail as we know it pretty much did not completely leave downtown until the mid-to-late 1970's, and the lifestyle center phenomenon very strongly reflects a desire of many to have a downtown-styled shopping environment. In addition, themed developments have become very popular in today's day in age. Helen has everything a lifestyle center would want: a quaint downtown appearance, safe, less conspicuous parking, a distinct classic theme, broad appeal and attractive landscaping and architecture. The one thing Helen doesn't have so much is the generic chain stores and restaurants found in most lifestyle centers. Local stores became firmly rooted in the town early on with the chains adding on later.
A look at the Chattahoochee River bridge entering the downtown area. The pedestrian addition on the left is a recent development.
The theme of Helen has resulted in a town that looks nothing like anything else anywhere in the Eastern US. The closest thing to it in the state is the more spartan Bavarian look of Avondale Estates east of Atlanta. Today, the buildings in the town have actually changed little, though much has been added since the original town was created. The creation of the town also resulted in significant condo, timeshare and resort development in the immediate vicinity. Nearby Skylake is a gated community that appeared around the time of Helen. The town's premier feature, though, is the Chattahoochee River which is near its source in the Georgia mountains and flows through the heart of town as a clear mountain stream. The river annually draws escapees from the heat and a steady flow of people in inner tubes during the summer. While the Chattahoochee offers recreation downstream, it is much swifter and much nastier than the clear stream through Helen.
Here are some of the shops on the north end of the town. These are the tallest buildings and quite possibly the oldest. The green astroturf looks a little dated. At least two of these "Alpine Helen" canopies can be found in the town on side streets.
Throughout the 80's, the enormous crowds drawn to the town resulted in much new development in the valley of Helen. Several motels were constructed, a water park was added and a small outlet mall all were built south of downtown. Like the main part of town, all of this new development was designed strictly on the German-Bavarian theme. Small wedding chapels also became a prominent feature of the town because of its charm. The town also features many local restaurants, some which have been around since the 70's. In terms of restaurants, Cafe International is one of those, and has continued to attract huge business for 35 years. Originally a cheese and wine tasting place, this restaurant is popular for its covered deck overlooking the river. The restaurant serves German food and beer mixed with some continental fare. Their Reuben is one of the best in the state.
The Cafe International is pictured here with its deck built right into the river. Such a business right on the water would not likely be allowed today. The hottest days of summer will find pink innertubes in the middle of this scene.
Aside from Cafe International, at least five restaurants are found in the downtown as well as some local bakery and fudge shops. Fast food may also be found there including Wendy's, Huddle House and Blimpie south of the downtown. The themed Huddle House is a real treat. A KFC also once operated in the town, but it closed in the 1990's. In all, the place feels somewhat like Gatlinburg with less gimmick and more style. In other words, don't expect to be ripped off at Ripley's Believe It or Not here, though there is at least one putt putt golf course to drop a few bucks at.
Here are some views of the shops along the south (west) side of the downtown.
While Helen is in the North Georgia Mountains, it is hardly in true mountains. The elevations of nearby peaks generally do not reach 4,000 ft. and the climate is only somewhat milder than the Atlanta area except in the deep cool coves graced with hemlocks and rhododendrons that make that area so popular. Because of this, the more typical Southern weather has threatened the livelihood of Helen more than once. The first was in 1994 when an F3 tornado barely missed the town, wiping out the House of Tyrol to the south near Mt. Yonah. This was a two story structure built with the same Bavarian theme found in Helen. It was a very attractive structure and had been recently built. It also had a very sturdy steel structure holding it in place. The beams and tremendous debris were all that remained after the storm.
Here are more views of the shops along the south (west) side of the downtown. The buliding in the middle photo is mainly just a large bathroom.
Mother Nature hit closer the second time when in 2005, Hurricane Katrina left its mark on the state through a series of moderate tornadoes. One hit the east side of Helen with a strength of F2, severely damaging the outlet mall, one of the hotels and effectively wiping out many trees in the area. Luckily, the more sheltered downtown area was not at all affected and the tornado did not have the long path of destruction that the 1994 storm did.
The north side of the street features a mini-mall that was not open when I visited. This mall contains about six stores with access to the river below. The steps here went down to the lower level of the center.
Near the restrooms in this previous photo is this alley, which contains a restaurant and a few other small shops. The back side of it contained a store that was roped off.
Another enclosed alley formed this mini-mall, which contains 4-5 shops. It is one of the least attractive parts of the downtown.
Helen had far reaching effects in the region when it was built. The design of the town led to many Bavarian-styled cabins cropping up in various developments during the early 70's. Helen-styled (I call it) homes appeared as far away as Pickens County and generally scattered through the large resort developments that appeared around the same time throughout the hills. The peak of popularity of the town was by and large from the early-80's to the mid-90's when tremendous crowds stormed the town in the summer and fall, choking traffic in the town as money flowed in from the ever increasing stream of Atlanta tourists and wealth. In 1982, the DOT even renumbered an existing highway (SR 356) as an alternate route of SR 75 around the city to guide through traffic away from the congestion. Undoubtably, the presence of the best hiking and mountain scenery in Georgia nearby helped nurse those crowds along as well.
This very attractive fountain graces the southeast side of the street in the town. I do not believe it is original, but I'm not sure.
Helen today exists along a wider assortment of options as nearby Western North Carolina and once more remote Union and Towns Counties both began to draw more of the crowds that previously stopped short at Helen. Improvements to highways into those areas increased the options, but also it has made Helen more accessible to Atlanta. Today, it is possible to drive to Helen directly from Atlanta quickly via SR 400 and SR 115. Additionally, the Helen valley has seen a maturing of the development that occurred through the 1980's. Today, very little new development is taking place in the town with new construction mostly away from SR 75. In addition, the aging condition of the distinctly designed 1938 arch bridge in downtown is scheduled for an eventual replacement, which would indeed disrupt the town and erase the centerpiece of its history.
Even the Wendy's carries the theme back in an era when most were pretty standard. This building is old enough that I remember it having the antique newspaper tabletops.
The Huddle House retrofitting was quit excellent. It is one of the best looking themed fast food restaurants I have seen.
Regardless, the good of this is that the town has remained attractive and unique without changing its look. A beautiful rock fountain now graces the center of town as well as plants and flowers that front the downtown. The growth of Atlanta has also put the population closer to the once remote town than ever before, keeping business alive and well even during the week. Today, it is indeed becoming a place of family traditions. I noted how my parents were my age when they first came there and how I am still coming there at least once or twice a year. Of course, when I come I am either there just to pass through or sit and have another Reuben sandwich overlooking the river: it is so worth it.
Outside of downtown is this water park south toward Cleveland.
Southeast of town, this strip was built attempting to capitalize on the tourism. Apparently it hasn't done so well as most of the center is vacant. Helen's expansion is far less attractive than the downtown, and it features most of the chain and tourist trap type development such as motels, a wedding chapel, the water park and a putt putt golf course in addition to the outlet mall.
The outlet mall, pictured here, first arrived in the late 1980's. It was damaged in the tornado in 2005. This type of development is inappropriate, and I wish that this area could be redeveloped into more of an urban streetscape such as the downtown with parking out of sight.
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