Traveling Through Time and Space, I return to the happier days of the late 1980's, when I worked in the small upstate New York city of Endicott, New York.
I have many memories of a village where so many streets are named after Presidents. Washington. Jefferson. Madison. Monroe. Lincoln. Cleveland. Roosevelt.
This building is only a couple of blocks away from Washington Avenue, which once was the main shopping street of Endicott. Just blocks away from IBM, which had a major facility nearby, Washington Avenue was full of prosperous businesses. I didn't take pictures of the bustling Washington Avenue, because I didn't know, back then, that the prosperity of Endicott would, one day, be only a memory.
There was the downsizing of IBM, a company which actually started down the road in Binghamton as a manufacturer of time clocks and other time keeping devices.
There was the death by mall of downtown shopping. Endicott's Washington Avenue was one of many casualties. In my memories, I can still walk down the Washington Avenue of, say, 1987, in my mind. Very few businesses of that time remain.
But, worst of all, was the Plume,. "Tons of industrial solvents used to clean computer parts were dumped down drains or leached from leaky pipes into the ground for years before environmental rules required that such "spills" be reported.." These solvents were used from the 1930's to the mid 1980's. The case was finally settled in 2015.
Now, Endicott struggles to return to its once prosperous days.
 |
| The North Brewery, Washington Avenue |
There are new businesses and some new hope. For example, where a bakery flourished for many years (and went out of business many years ago) there is now a brewery.
That's how you Endicott nowadays.
But my memories of the 90's still remain.
"E" day on Blogging from A to Z Challenge.
My first job was in downtown Detroit at a retailer that is now a part of Macy's. Sounds like Endicott shares a lot of the same issues as Detroit's downtown.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the plume cleanup was "fun". Glad business seems to be returning to the area.
ReplyDeleteI recall Endicott from the 70s and 80s (due to IBM's presence). And, I knew that time had "passed" Endicott by...
ReplyDeleteThis makes me remember working in downtown Cincinnati when all the old department stores were still around. I miss the lunch counter at McAplin's.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your blogging milestone. And very interesting, as always.
ReplyDeleteThose window look like would take quite a bit of work to keep the smudge off...I believe every town has some of there roads and street name after trees, and presidents.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
Sad that the businesses aren't there anymore. Of course, now it's the internet that's damaging the mom and pop stores.
ReplyDeleteWow! 2700 posts is beyond amazing Alana - congrats and I've got a long way to go!! Interesting post too - and sad when towns slowly die, but nice this one may be resurrected.
ReplyDeleteLeanne | cresting the hill
2700 is such a huge number... congrats... mine is just at 340 till now... :) I had never heard of Endicott... nice to read about yester era businesses,... sad that they had to close...
ReplyDelete