First Avenue in the 1930s

First Avenue in the 1930s.

The enlarged and cropped postcard above looks east on 1st Avenue North from Roberts Street in about 1935.

First Avenue in the 1930s.

Here we see the south side of the street. On the corner is the YMCA, followed by the Improvement Building (an office and apartment building). The Ritz Cafe was on the first floor. Next is the Grand Theater and the Nestor Tavern. The remainder of the buildings and businesses cannot be distinguished because of the angle.

First Avenue in the 1930s.

In this crop of the postcard we see the north side of the street. On the corner is the Pioneer Life building. On the street level, we see the Postal Pharmacy on the corner (with a second floor sign for Mr. Barrett, attorney), an unknown business, Fargo Floral, the entrance to the upper floors, the Red Owl Store (offering groceries and fresh fruit), and the Sunshine Cleaners. The next building housed the Store Without a Name, then the Tea Cup Inn, Berg's Barber and Beauty Shop (offering "permanent waves"), Stones Music Store, and a GE (General Electric) store. I can't discern the businesses east of that to Broadway. On the second floor is a sign for Carl C. Pitsch, Real Estate.

East of Broadway we see the sign for the Donaldson Hotel, the Fargo Rubber Stamp Works, Eline's Cafe, the Masonic Temple, the Fargo Forum building, and the telephone office at the far right edge.