Blog
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Marty joins WBEZ’s Podcast Reset By: Michael McDonough
Eye On Main Street’s own Martin Treu, recently joined Sasha-Ann Simons from WBEZ’s daily talk show Reset to discuss a new Chicago ordinance which creates protections for some of the city’s most iconic and historic signs… Read On…
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Grace’s Furniture By: Martin Treu
Old neon signs often serve as important urban landmarks. They help to visually identify key locations in a city, marking it with distinct visual icons. They contribute significantly to what urban designers, architects, and city lovers call… Read On…
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Electra, Texas By: Martin Treu
During a recent trip to north-central Texas, I discovered the small town of Electra. It cast a spell on me, and in the course of twenty-four hours of driving around the region, I returned to it again… Read On…
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Pandemics, Protests, and Public Space By: Martin Treu
From the air, these days, I travel the United States, studying Main Streets. My vantage point, lofty and analytical, is supplied by Google Earth and other digital tools. This is my means for traveling… Read On…
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Main Street Moves On By: Martin Treu
Main Street is currently suffering an unthinkable setback due to the lock-down and subsequent social distancing mandated by the worldwide COVID-19 crisis. The government-mandated freeze… Read On…
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The View from the Farmhouse Kitchen By: Martie Samuel
I am in my early 60s and have led a wonderful life. My two children are adults and have their own lives, and I am fortunate to be included in their worlds. I grew up in the Midwest… Read On…
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Mind on Main Street By: Martin Treu
In my mind, I am driving along an old highway, entering a small American town that I’ve never seen before. It is late in the day, and the sun is low. I am nearing the center of town… Read On…
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Carlisle Lockdown By: Michael McDonough
It is late April in the year 2020 AD. Stay-at-Home Order prevails across much of the US. As in towns across the country, the historic commercial core of Carlisle… Read On…
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Sketches on Main Street By: Martin Treu
Today the Main Streets of Ohio, Iowa, New York City, and the world unite in a quest for survival and rebirth. During Spring of 2020 many of us are sequestered in our homes… Read On…
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On Main Street with Martin Treu By: Michael McDonough
No place was a more nurturing incubator for the classic American Main Street than Ohio in the 19th century. For a newly-expanding nation, Ohio provided valuable natural resources… Read On…
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Midwestern
Still Life
By: Michael McDonough
From the air Ottawa, Ohio looks like it would be a vibrant community. All the major local roads lead to this carefully planned and densely built up county seat. It appears to be… Read On…
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Pennsylvania’s First Main Street By: Michael McDonough
If you want to get an idea what William Penn’s original utopian vision for Philadelphia looked like, you can visit a re-creation of his country home: Pennsbury Manor… Read On…