The Messiness of Milton Avenue

Planning how a city will expand and grow is difficult to assume. The street sections that will be discussed are Phoenix Avenue which can be accessed from San Francisco Street or Beaver Street, as it leads to Milton Avenue until you get to old Route 66.As you leave Phoenix Avenue and head south on Milton there is a significant change in business.

It is apparent that Phoenix Avenue was planned between 1910 and 1940 as the lecture stated this was the Whimsical and Experimental period. This is apparent due to the roadside business instead of having a large parking lot to accommodate business. This also indicates that Phoenix Avenue and the commerce that was originally there was to accommodate the South Side Neighborhood. Although many businesses have come and go along this strip of the street it has become a competitive market competing with businesses on Beaver Street and Mikes Pike which has Granny’s Closet located at the end of it along Milton with the infamous Louie the Lumberjack standing next to a tractor.

As it can be seen below, Milton Avenue is a whole different type of business sector. Heading South on Milton there are many businesses that don’t seem to fit in, such as the Gun store next to the Breaks Plus. Later on there are Motels that have survived since Route 66 was the only way in and out of town, but since then chain hotels have taken over the city such as the Drury inn that was just built on the Corner of Butler. Motels make up quite a few businesses for such a short corridor. The most interesting building along Milton is the Furniture Barn which is pictured below. However, this building was not always a furniture store it used to be an old armory, which is an example of adaptive reuse, reusing a building with a new purpose.

On the corner of Route 66 and Milton Avenue is a Barnes & Noble that overpowers the street corner. This is prime location for business, except there is limited access to this business in you are heading north/northwest along Milton. This is due to the unplanned growth of the city which indicates that it is organic. Although there are zoning codes and planning this indicates that the landscape has accumulated buildings over time through individual actions which provides a sense of character to the streets and city. As you turn to right on to Historic Route 66 there is a Motel 8 that pops out, but in between the Motel 8 and Barnes & Noble is a small building that has a dry cleaner, a Battery Plus, and an advanced cash business. These businesses seem to be overlooked, because of the two extravagant businesses on either side. Route 66 has become part of Modern Corporate Era, which has allowed for vibrant attractive signs and architecture. This has allowed for route 66 to evolve as the automobile becomes more dominant in the 21^st century.