posted May 20, 2008
Beautiful, historic Chattanooga - where is it? We have lost Cameron Hill ,which was a beautiful place to view the city from. We have lost the very old EPB building which could have been converted into office spaces. We have lost the very historic old jail for the need of parking spaces, which would have made a great tourist attraction. And now the old "filling station" at Main and Central.
I think the city should graze down all the "old" Chattanooga and put in all new buildings and just call it new ugly Chattanooga.
On the news this morning I heard that Chattanooga is the third best place to relocate. I wonder how that can be when it seems like there is a shooting at least once a day. I wonder how these people came to that conclusion.
Chattanooga used to be a great place to live and work. The beauty of the city was breathtaking. North Chattanooga was quaint and surreal. Now it's the North Shore and the beauty is gone - in the name of progress, of course.
History is what made Chattanooga what it was - the beautiful old buildings, the architectural designs which were proudly done, the underground tunnels which were used in the Civil War and underground Chattanooga.
Everyone wants this to be a tourist town, but they keep tearing down all the history which Chattanooga is known for. I don't see the logic in this.
I guess money talks and historic Chattanooga walks.
Bettye W. Clark
ClarkGB1@aol.com
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Ah yes, the good ole Chattanooga. Scenic Cameron Hill and those apartments where so much more beautiful than the state of the art buildings Blue Cross is building. Kirkman High School and its football field were much better for Chattanooga than the hideous AT&T Park and IMAX.
We had such better tax revenues from the old smoke stack and parking lot than the new condos. And we should've kept that bridge built for trains (which had not been used for years) instead of creating the world's longest pedestrian bridge and jewel of Chattanooga's revitalization.
Let's bring Chattanooga back to what it used to be, a polluted crime ridden downtown that was deserted from Friday at 5 p.m. to Monday at 8 a.m.
Roger Perdactur
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Great, Mr. Perdactur, so we're building up and improving downtown, according to your opinion. Has that helped Chattanooga land any new industry? No. Has that helped improved the public schools in Chattanooga? Again, the answer is no. Has it helped keep our taxes from being raised? Nope. Has it helped lower Chattanooga's high crime rate? Once again, the answer is no.
What exactly has improving downtown done for the city? Well, it costs more to park downtown these days. That's about the only thing that's changed. And "that bridge" you speak of, wasn't just built for trains. It was used regularly until the 1980's. I should know, we drove across that bridge every Sunday to get to church. And the downtown you speak of that was crime ridden, unless you've had your head buried in the sand, then you should know crime is still a major problem in downtown Chattanooga, despite the "improvements," especially at night.
If we're going to be throwing money around in Chattanooga, let's do it for something worthwhile, like improving our public schools, or paying our city police officers a decent salary. There is more to Chattanooga than just "downtown." And while it's nice to see the improvements and repairs being made, it would be nicer to see the city do that without losing its heritage. To say nothing of the fact that there are parts of Chattanooga that are in desperate need of repairs that never see them. Why do we need more new buildings downtown? How about repairing other parts of the city that have been forgotten?
Chattanooga is trying to become another Nashville or Atlanta. If I wanted to live in a major city, I'd have moved to one. People need to stop trying to make Chattanooga into something it's not before they totally ruin it.
Matt Riley
Chattanooga
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I have to agree with Ms. Clark on her views about the wrecking of our historic city. We who have lived in Chattanooga our entire lives see how it has been taken down to not even a good tourist town.
Mr. Perdactur was probably not raised here in the Scenic City or he would have seen the beauty of Cameron Hill before the apartments leveled it and ruined a valuable part of our history. He also talked of the smoke stacks which polluted the air but those smoke stacks were creating much needed jobs for our residents which in turn, paid taxes which went to our schools for a higher education level. As you know, our school system is an atrocity.
Then, the crime rate was mentioned which was a joke to me. I have been downtown Chattanooga many times at night all of my life with no threat to me, my car or my belongings. With all of the gangs in Chattanooga now I wouldn't dream of walking across the Walnut Street Bridge alone at night. Anyone who watches the nightly news knows that there is a shooting, stabbing, car break-ins and even car jackings in the inner city among other areas of Chattanooga.
So I am for saving the history of Chattanooga because it is all we have left. I would gladly deal with a little more pollution if it meant jobs for the people of Chattanooga and the much needed industry for our area but alas, no tax breaks for them so they go elsewhere.
But, keep up the faith, after all we do have the world's longest pedestrian bridge and a jewel of Chattanooga's revitalization among many, many thorns.
George Arthur
MrsPriss2@aol.com
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Mr. Roger Perdactur needs to be a bit more educated about Chattanooga, or hasn't lived here for very long.
As for Cameron Hill, it wasn't always apartments. Growing up here since 1950 I can remember the old houses on Cameron Hill long before the apartments were ever thought of. Cameron Hill was changed to make way for what is now Highway 27 and the bridge, the new flat top and the Cameron Hill Apartments were the result.
And as far as the Walnut Street Bridge, does anyone ever remember any trains that ran across it as he suggest? We used to leave City High and take Forrest Avenue and cross the bridge when we went to the old library on McCallie Avenue.
I'm not saying that changes don't need to be made, look at what goes on downtown now as opposed to 25 years ago. I just really think that things can be done different and save some of the old buildings such as Blue Cross did with the Miller Bros building, the United Way did with the old drug store at 6th and Market and the list goes on.
I for one miss the old buildings, they remind me of growing up in what is the greatest city in Tennessee.
Craig Collier
zook1@bellsouth.net
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Mr. Perdactur's response about historic Chattanooga shows either he is a newcomer to the area or misinformed. Cameron Hill was a beautiful historic neighborhood once before the city and the state leveled it during the urban renewal programs of the 60s and 70s. Walnut street bridge was not a train trestle; it was a bridge for cars, and before that used by buggies and foot traffic. Driving across the old bridge before it was closed to traffic was an experience. The fact that it was preserved is Ms. Clark's point.
Change is necessary and there have been many positive changes along the waterfront like the Aquarium, AT&T Field, and Coolidge Park. These changes took vacant industrial sites and turned them into positives. However, the destruction of the old EPB building and other sites to build parking lots lacks vision.
Chattanooga needs to have a long term plan to preserve beautiful and historic sections. Private foundations and individuals have made positive changes in St. Elmo and Highland Park. It would be forward thinking for Chattanooga government to be proactive and plan for the future with eye on preserving the past.
Ted Jameson
tedjameson85@yahoo.com
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