Chattanooga Building Demolition Unearths Old Signs

The demolition of a building on Cherokee Blvd. in North Chattanooga has unearthed numerous handpainted billboards, reports The Chattanoogan. Across the street from the former Loft restaurant, a vacant building was demolished to make way for a new, mixed-use building. The job unearthed vestiges of the former Boulevard Pharmacy there or nearby. The displays included the pharmacy’s lunch-counter menu — a hamburger for 20 cents, a hot dog for 15 cents, a 30-cent banana split, etc.

However, the new building, which will include restaurant, retail and office space, will soon be built, and the displays will either themselves be destroyed or sent back into obscurity. Such treasures are rapidly vanishing; we should enjoy them while we can.