Downtown Memories

Kathy W. sent us this memory…

The very first time I attended an event at the Municipal Auditorium was in 1949 at the first Cotillion Club’s gala. It was magical! I was so excited to see the Auditorium. As a kid the symphony was incredible, and the entire evening was unbelievable. I remember the night like it was yesterday,

Why was…why is… Downtown Shreveport distinctive to you? Please include your name, and any contact information. Please note that if we publish your memory, we will use just your first name only and assume that you give permission to use if you submit unless specified otherwise. Send to jlandry@downtownshreveport.com.

Karen M sent us this memory…

I was excited to read Betsy L’s memory because one of my favorite downtown memories is similar. Every year a few weeks before Christmas, my parents would take my little sister and I to United Jewelers. It was so exciting to ride the elevator with the cage door and the sharply-dressed attendant. Our parents would put us on the elevator and send us up to the toy floor where we could roam and touch and imagine ourselves playing with the toys as much as we wanted to. We felt so grown up. When our parents finished their shopping, they would come to the toy floor and we would take them around and show them all the things we wanted Santa to bring us!

Another great memory I have was as a young woman who began her career working downtown. At lunch I could walk one block over and shop at some of the best stores in town. I applied for and got my very first credit card from Rubenstein’s. It had a $200 limit and I thought I had really arrived!

Anne B. sent us this memory… Shreve Square – that was the place to be for the best nightlife in Shreveport. My favorite band was A- Train. Favorite places to hang out were Humphries and the Sports Page. The Square was a good place for lunch too: Dietmar’s Restaurant, Seven Sisters, and the Spaghetti Store. So many good memories. I sure miss those days.

Barbara B. sent us this memory.

I used to work in the Texas Eastern building on Milam Street (Arkla Building). We loved going to lunch at Nanking Restaurant across the street. They had the best shrimp fried rice in town and the owners knew all regular customers by name. The food was really good, and back in the day it was the place to be at lunch in Downtown.

Nanking Restaurant. Photo credit: Twin Blends: Northwest Louisiana History Hunters

Allison T. remembers this: My family always enjoyed going downtown to watch parades. We loved the Christmas parade and of course getting to see Santa Claus at the end. The parade was huge, and it seemed to me as a little girl that there were millions of people on the streets. It was actually probably hundreds or maybe thousands. But everyone had such fun. There were marching bands, baton twirlers, beauty queens, lighted floats, and so many other things. Downtown was a wonderful place to be at Christmas in the 1950s. As most of my family is now gone, downtown at Christmas are memories I’ll always treasure.

Downtown Christmas Parade, 1954. Photo courtesy Twin Blends Northwest Louisiana History Hunters.

Betsy L. sent this memory: Every year we would make a trip downtown for back-to-school clothes. We had to dress up back then to go shopping, and for me that meant a dress (ugh). We always made the rounds to the big stores–especially Selbers and Rubensteins. The real treat, though, was United Jewelers, which had a whole floor of toys! We would also look at the silver coffee services and serving dishes and candlesticks, and maybe pick out an item or two for the house. That elevator was magical, with the cage that closed on it and there was an elevator attendant to push the buttons. This trip sadly became less regular when Pierremont Mall and Shreve City Shopping Center gained traction.

Shreve City Shopping Center was the biggest shopping center in Louisiana for many years.

Thank you for the memory, Betsy.

Tommy T. said, “Downtown used to be the place to make oil and gas deals. Most players in the industry had a presence in downtown Shreveport, and you could walk down Texas Street and run into VIPs on just about every corner. And then afterwards head to the University Club for lunch. Those were good days for downtown Shreveport.”

Brian D. remembers “having dinner at Chelsea’s (now Blind Tiger) and listening to Mikki and Jimmy Hunnicutt and great bands in the Sports Page and Circle in the Square (Shreve Square). Fun times!” Lots of memories.
Thank you Brian!

If you have a special memory or story about downtown Shreveport – from any time/year/event, etc. – please share it with us. We would like to include your moment in a future edition of eBlast along with any photo you may have that shapes the memorable event. Why was…why is… Downtown Shreveport distinctive to you? Please include your name, and any contact information. Please note that if we publish your memory, we will use just your first name only and assume that you give permission to use if you submit unless specified otherwise. Send to jlandry@downtownshreveport.com.

Suzanne sent in this memory: “My dad used to take my sister and me on a trolley ride to the courthouse in the fall and spring to feed the squirrels and pigeons peanuts. I was about 5 or 6 years old at the time. It was fun to ride the trolley and watch the courthouse animals come to us for the peanuts. I remember the benches at the courthouse and sitting there under the big trees and people watching at that young age. I will be glad to see the downtown area revitalize and be a center of social, commercial, and cultural life of our hometown!”

Caddo Parish Courthouse, 1942

This early 1930s photo from the book “Scenes of America, Shreveport” by Eric Brock shows the Broadmoor & Highland line trolleys in the 400 block of Texas Street.

Anonymous sent this: “I remember riding the bus with my older sister downtown to Woolworth on Texas Street. We loved to sit at the counter and have a hamburger and coke. My feet dangled because the counter and stools were high. It was loud in the diner but so exciting.”