The Website of
TRENTON CREATIVE ENTERPRISES
Where Old Gastonia Lives!
On Gastonia, On Gastonia. We Are All For You!
National Bank of Commerce / First Union National Bank
(Postcard circa 1956)
Built in 1956 as Gastonia's premier contribution to postwar modernist architecture.
It was declared obsolete by the City Manager and destroyed January 2009 by order of the Mayor and City Council to demonstrate their dedication to Downtown revitalization. Click here to see how the site looked after demolition.
For the history of First National Bank, the National Bank of Commerce, and this building, visit the Journal article entitled "Remember Me as I Was."
Gastonia, North Carolina was established at the intersection of two railroads in 1877. The textile industry was planted in the city in 1887 and found fertile ground for its flourishing with the rapid growth of many mills and their accompanying employee villages. In 1976, with the opening of Eastridge Mall, Uptown ceased to be Gastonia's retail center. The area then endured two major governmental redevelopment projects: a devastating Main Avenue "beautification" that reduced onstreet parking and drove several struggling businesses out of existence and the lowering of Southern Railway's main line tracks into a ditch that wiped out one-third of Uptown's built environment. The twenty-first century witnessed the demise of textiles as a major industry in the United States. The center city, which by that time had become known as "Downtown" (possibly because of the direction it had taken), continued a long, slow decline as development increased at a fever pitch on the eastern fringe of the city. In recent years, there has been growing hope that private development would bring life back to the lightly-traveled streets, and much progress has indeed been made. But the tentacles of government have once again moved into the arena, bringing attention and controversy back to the heart of Gastonia. Political arrogance has once again wreaked havok, and irreplacable buildings have fallen, creating new vacant lots at which future citizens will wonder. This is where we find ourselves in 2010.
Here on this website we celebrate what was, is, and again might be. Along the way we hope to assist in the efforts to make the forgotten places again full of life and vitality. Welcome and enjoy.
Gastonia government's apparent insatiable appetite for demolition of our built heritage is now being directed toward the City Hospital/Gaston Memorial Hospital buildings on North Highland Street. The City Manager says the vacant land is needed for affordable housing. Are there not one or two foreclosures sitting around? (Gastonia's current mayor, city council, and city manager are definitely building a legacy...of destruction.)
(See "Here We Go Again!" on the Journal page.)
ALERT!!! On June 10, 2009, the Gaston County Commissioners agreed, if certain stipulations are met, to transfer title of the old hospital property to the City of Gastonia, which, of course, plans to tear it down. If you agree with us that the rampage against the built heritage of Gastonia (OUR heritage) must cease, register your displeasure with
City Hall.
SAFE FOR NOW! THE "TEAR-DOWN TRIUMVIRATE" (MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, CITY MANAGER) HAS RUN OUT OF MONEY FOR DEMOLITION!
NOW IS THE TIME TO REVERSE THE TIDE OF DESTRUCTION. STABILIZE AND MOTHBALL THE OLD GASTON MEMORIAL BUILDING (ATTENTION GAZETTE, IT WAS NEVER THE "HIGHLAND HOSPITAL.") FOR FUTURE ADAPTIVE REUSE.
PURCHASE FORECLOSED HOMES FOR "AFFORDABLE HOUSING" NEEDS AND KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE.
A LITTLE COMMON SENSE WOULD BE WELCOMED RIGHT NOW.
SEE PICTURES OF THE OLD GASTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL ON THE
LOST AND ENDANGERED PAGE.
We are now into the third incarnation of the civic center project for Uptown/Downtown. Although severely beaten with facts and common sense, the "government is necessary for anything to happen" idea will not die. Examples of the short-sightedness of city government as a developer are the destructive unintended consequences that would have come if the "Big Splash" could have been pushed through. That project would have replaced the present main branch of the YMCA and opened yet another gaping hole in the tattered fabric of old West Gastonia. It is probable that the "legacy" so desired by the city's elected officials will be opposite that which was intended. A robust election and a good airing out of City Hall will be refreshing.
Take a short, nostalgic tour of what has already disappeared from Uptown/Downtown Gastonia's western gateway. Read "Avenue of Ghosts," posted April 28, 2009 on the Journal page.
Update:The Big Splash project has been dropped. Instead, the City Manager is desperately trying to salvage credibility (his and the mayor's) by suggesting the construction of a parking garage (for visitors who come to view Palenick Park and Parking Lot) and completion of the ruination of the Webb Theater. (In a rare demonstration of comon sense, the Webb Theater component has been deleted.) Those who support the private redevelopment of Downtown can rejoice in spite of this final gasp of a misguided government adventure, for an exit strategy from the center city by Mayor Stultz and company has emerged. (See the Gaston Gazette article here.)
Breaking News: At the City Council meeting held May 4, 2010, arrogance and buffoonery once again dominated the stage. We don't know whether to laugh or to cry! As City employees are being furloughed, their Manager has convinced a clueless Mayor and Council to grab yet another major downtown building and remove it from the free market. Council voted to exercise a lease with option to purchase ($3,000 / month with purchase price of $600,000) on the Kress Building at West Main and Marietta. City employees are losing their jobs, but funds can be found to further strangle downtown redevelopment. If the past is any indicator of the future, City Hall will again prove that it possesses an inability to maintain roofs of structures it owns, and we will will wind up with yet another vacant lot.
(Oh, by the way, the Webb Theater restaurant deal has been resurrected.)
See what might have been. Instead of continuing the demolition of Gastonia's architectural heritage, the city's elected leadership could have followed the
1999 Master Plan for Downtown Gastonia.
The recent tragedy of the loss of five more significant structures is further indication that Gastonia has again lost its way regarding center city revitalization. When (or if ever) the city finds the wisdom to again pursue a constructive path, will there be anything left to work with?
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We are adding new material to this website weekly.
(Last updated July 28, 2010.)
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Keep the memories of Old Gastonia alive!
Visit the Millican Pictorial History Museum located at 35 Catawba Street in Belmont, North Carolina.
Among the huge collection of archival scenes are many interesting pictures of Gastonia's past!
(Click here to visit their Facebook page.)
We are proud to add G-Town Sound, a website celebrating Gastonia's dance bands of the 60's and 70's
to the Music section of the Time Travel page!
Visit Adam Prince's fascinating website Carolina Lost! (See us there.)
Visit our new page entitled "The Lay of the Land." It is still under development, but it will eventually feature vintage aerial views and maps of Gastonia.
The late 1940's addition to the First National Bank (Lawyers' Building) has been removed. This beneficial demolition has uncovered the architectural grandeur of the structure that once welcomed travelers as they made their way through the landscaped walkway that passed between it and the old Post Office from the Southern Railway station to Main Avenue. That which is now visible is breathtaking to anyone who loves Uptown/Downtown Gastonia or just beautiful architecture in general. You must see it! (Until you can get there in person, see the photo essay here.)
Gastonia's Brookwood Historic District is compiling its history. If you have information about, or once lived in Brookwood (located on South Chester Street, below the former Gastonia/Ashley High School buildings), please contact historicbrookwood@gmail.com.
Visit the Gastonia History page!
Noted Gastonia and Gaston County historian Robert Allison Ragan tells the story of the founding of
Gastonia, North Carolina!
(Article 14 was posted May 24, 2010. Pictures are forthcoming.)
Robert Ragan's latest book and crowning achievement,
The History of Gastonia and Gaston County North Carolina:
A Vision of America at It's Best,
is available now!
Click on the title to learn where you can get a copy.
The 1959 Class of Frank L. Ashley High School held its 50th anniversary reunion October 9-10, 2009.
Visit their website (below) for news of the event.
The 1969 Class of Frank L. Ashley High School held its 40th anniversary reunion November 28, 2009.
A great time was had by all!
(Visit the Ashley High School Facebook page for pictures, news, and information.)
Visit these Frank L. Ashley High School class websites:
Class of 1957
Class of 1959
Please share any information you might have on Gastonia schools prior to the 1971 county consolidation.
More and more Gastonians are questioning the wisdom of decisions made by elected officials in City Hall. The present Mayor and City Council are the first to benefit from their own change of the city charter and bylaws to increase terms of office from two to four years. Click here to find out how to reverse this change and rein in the blatant arrogance of those you chose to represent you.
We are searching for photographs of the old Armstrong Elementary School that once stood on the west side of Union Road just south of what is now Garrison Boulevard. If you have one and are willing to share, please contact us or e-mail Randy Whitesides at rwhitesides@hotmail.com.
Mr. Whitesides found a wonderful image of Armstrong School (originally South School) and shares it with us (through the courtesy of the Gaston County Schools) here. If you wish to reproduce the picture, please contact us first.
Be sure to read the forgotten story of the "First Union" building
on the Journal page.
(Just as every life weaves a tale, so does every structure built by the hand of man.)
On November 18, 2008 the Gastonia City Council voted to demolish all five historic buildings on the site of the proposed Big Splash project. Many questioned if this would be the "third strike" of government intervention in Uptown/Downtown since the tragic eastward exodus of the mid-1970's.
It appears that it was.
Read "This Is Our Property!" on the Journal page.
Have you visited the Time Travel page lately? Immerse yourself in the past!
Share your Gastonia news, stories, and pictures here!
Invite every Gastonian you know to visit and participate.
Life is fleeting; make the most of it by remembering how you became who you are.
Is there a Ratchford in your family tree? If so (or even if you are just curious), visit the Ratchford family website and spend some time with your kin. (We are there, too, even though we are not Ratchfords.)
Read "Gastonia's Changing Skyline" on the Journal page. (Posted February 13, 2010.)
Add this site to your "favorites," and patronize the businesses mentioned herein.
(Tell them they were mentioned on vintagegastonia.com.)
We are looking for photographs of businesses and residences that once stood Uptown along Airline Avenue. Send us an e-mail with a description or an attachment.
Do you have vintage maps, advertisements, brochures, matchbook covers, grand opening "giveaways,"or other publicity pieces featuring Gastonia businesses and organizations from the 1930's through the 1970's? See the Ephemera page. If you would like to see your items displayed there, along with proper credit, please send an e-mail attachment or contact us to make arrangements for them to be scanned and returned.
Gastonians! Realize the treasure you possess before it is gone!
The first Gastonia Post Office / Federal Building, dedicated January 31, 1916 (2,000 in attendance), opened for business February 1, 1916. Built at a cost of $70,250, the imposing structure stood on the northeast corner of West Main Avenue and North South Street. It was erected on the site of the old town square, later known as the City Park. Built of brick and Indiana limestone, the Post Office was part of a monumental building program in the city from 1915 to 1917 that included a new Central School (completed in 1915 to replace the original one that burned), the Armington Hotel (on Airline Avenue across from the Southern Railway passenger station, September 1915), the Post Office, West School (later known as Abernethy, west of the Loray Mill, March 1917), its twin East School (on the North side of Ozark, across from the Ozark Mill--later Wix Filters' original plant, 1917), and the seven-story First National Bank Building (now known as the Lawyers Building, July 1917). Of these six monumental structures that were substantial enough to have lasted into the 21st. century, only two did. This Post Office building was demolished in 1937 after the opening of the present Main Post Office farther west at York and Main. A Revolutionary War commemorative bronze plaque that had been placed in the loggia of the building at its opening by the William Gaston Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was moved to a similar location at Memorial Hall on Second Avenue. (Photograph copyright Jim Brown / Cam Art Studios. Used by permission.)
Intersection of North York Street and West Airline Avenue, 1969. Pictured is the Gastonia Ice Cream Company, home of Honey Kist Ice Cream. This area was obliterated for the excavation of "the ditch," Gastonia's premier eyesore and Downtown's greatest impediment to healthy redevelopment.
(Photograph credit Charles Kaylor. Print by Jim Brown, Cam Art Studios.)
A view of the south side of the 100th block of West Main Avenue at the close of a business day in July 1974. 
A view of Chester Street, taken in the summer of 1984 using a 200mm telephoto lens, looking north from the entrance to the Oakwood Cemetery. Note the Southern Railway overpass in the distance, the house on the northeast corner of Franklin and Chester, and the red roses on the cemetery fence. This photograph appears (in black and white) in A Glimpse as It Passed: Scenes from a Vanished Gastonia, North Carolina, 1972-1992, published by Trenton Creative Enterprises. It can be purchased through any of our retail partners.
Opposite view from the railroad overpass, looking south on Chester Street (US 321), early spring 1973. From A Glimpse as It Passed: Scenes from a Vanished Gastonia, North Carolina, 1972-1992, published by Trenton Creative Enterprises. It can be purchased through any of our retail partners.
Trenton Street tiles November 23, 2003
Our state-of-the-art mobile advertising unit in Downtown Gastonia July, 6, 2008.
IN MEMORIAM
AFTER 23 YEARS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE, MY 1987 MAZDA B-2000 PICKUP (BOUGHT NEW ON FEBRUARY 10, 1987), BROKE ITS CRANKSHAFT ON SUNDAY MORNING, APRIL 11, 2010 WHILE MAKING ITS WAY UP I-85 TOWARD GASTONIA. IT HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A 2011 TOYOTA CAMRY BUT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.
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