Sam Hall, local history enthusiast and creator of ChattanoogaHistory.com, frequently presents ‘now and then’ views of area historic photos. His most recent addition took more effort than most to accomplish.
Mr.
Hall explained, “I coordinated with BlueCross BlueShield representatives to gain access to their roof - as that’s the closest one can get to Cameron Hill’s former elevation.”
In the early 1960s, Cameron Hill’s top was lopped off and hundreds of homes and buildings were razed as part of a sweeping and controversial urban renewal program named the West Side Redevelopment Project.
Mr. Hall took a series of photos to create a current panorama view that closely matches a 1909 view. He created the historical view using glass plate negatives digitized by the Library of Congress.
He added, “The 1909 vista is impressive by itself. With the 2022 view overlaid as closely as possible, one can make sense of and reflect on the remarkable changes that have taken place over 113 years.”
The new presentation can be viewed at ChattanoogaHistory.com