1736 Magazine - Vision for the Future

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COVER STORY Downtown businesses new, old see bright future Story by AMANDA KING | Photos by MICHAEL HOLAHAN From a 120-year-old business to a recently opened one on Broad Street, Augusta’s downtown has endured a series of changes throughout its history and is preparing for a bright future as more businesses make their way back. 8 | 1736magazine.com The new Laziza Mediterranean Grill at the corner of Broad and 9th streets in downtown Augusta.
Jeff Gorelick and Bonnie Ruben are the owners of Ruben’s Department Store, which has been on Broad Street for more than 120 years. Downtowns across America saw their height just prior to World War II with bustling shoppers frequenting department stores on main streets, according to Margaret Woodard, executive director for the Augusta Downtown Development Authority. When troops returned home from battle, subsidies gave them the ability to move from downtown to the suburbs and took away much of the street traffic to which stores were accustomed. It would be another 30 years before retailers would catch on to the trend and move stores into malls and strip malls. “All the retail literally left,” Woodard said. “There really wasn’t a living presence in downtown Augusta with the exception of Old Towne.” In the 1980s, the General Assembly in Atlanta authorized the Downtown Development Authority to help struggling downtown Ruben’s Department Store has been a fixture on Broad Street in Augusta since the 1890s. areas regain strength. For Augusta, that meant the development of Artist’s Row on the 1000 block of Broad Street. Restaurants including Nacho Mama’s and bars like Soul Bar opened around the same time in response to the initiative. In recent years, Baby Boomers 1736magazine.com | 9
Page 1 and 2: WINTER 2021 WATERWAYS EDITION FINAL
Page 3 and 4: 62 A PRODUCT OF PRESIDENT TONY BERN
Page 5 and 6: The view of downtown Augusta, Ga.,
Page 7: The Broad Street Bullies Grill is o
Page 12 and 13: Dr. Benjamin Casella, left, and his
Page 14: Sean Wight, chef and owner of downt
Page 17 and 18: Jared Williams, left, and John Dunn
Page 19 and 20: Iconic local business By JOE HOTCHK
Page 21 and 22: Though Hildebrandt’s started maki
Page 23 and 24: The Hildebrandt family photographed
Page 25 and 26: Bob and Flo Morris check out the me
Page 27 and 28: All-Star Candidate Richmond Count
Page 29 and 30: Antoine Williamson opened Broad Str
Page 31 and 32: he noticed a lot of people would go
Page 33 and 34: Downtown Augusta expected to grow a
Page 35 and 36: We have a partnership agreement for
Page 37 and 38: The Georgia Cyber Center in downtow
Page 39 and 40: An artist’s rendering shows the p
Page 41 and 42: WHILE NOT EVERY PROPOSED PROJECT MA
Page 43 and 44: next six or seven years. Three muse
Page 45 and 46: the McDuffie Museum in Thomson. Thr
Page 47 and 48: High-efficiency chiller. Improvedco
Page 49 and 50: Augusta’s plans to replace James
Page 51 and 52: Money to build a replacement for th
Page 53 and 54: Augusta riverfront, Lock and Dam fu
Page 55 and 56: The locks give manmade control over
Page 57 and 58: Guests and dignitaries stand on the
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The snagboat Macon docks at the New
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Jumpstart your business with energy
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Alex Griffin MANAGEMENT 2807 WYLDS
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ABOVE: “Invasive,” by Jen Garre
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“What a Wonderful World,” by Le
Page 69 and 70:
“Popsicles,” by Craig Gray of K
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FINAL WORDS Time to experience the
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1736 Magazine - Vision for the Future

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