Once upon a time, East Tennesseans shopped in a retail palace, dined in a culinary palace, and were entertained in an entertainment palace. Within a short walking distance of each other along Knoxville's South Gay Street, all three establishments sold an inexpensive product amid luxurious surroundings.

At 417 South Gay Street, S.H. Kress was the top of the line of the 5&10 stores. A Gothic Castle, its white terra cotta exterior was intended to contrast with the adjacent dark brick storefronts, just as Savannah Georgia's red brick S.H. Kress contrasted with the light brick structures that line Savannah's retail core along Broughton Street. The contrast was obviously intended to make Kress stores stand out among other downtown retailers. In my travels, I look for the Kress Building along the main streets of America's cities. At the roof line, front and center, the Kress name was always prominently displayed. Brass letters that topped the front of Nashville's S.H. Kress on 5th Avenue North continue to shine long after the store closed.

I was on the other side of Gay Street, with my Mother in the fall of 1981, when I noticed store closing signs in the windows at S.H. Kress. It didn't seem possible. S.H. Kress seemed more like an institution than a for profit concern. My grandmother's brother, Evan Spangler, had worked there as a window decorator years earlier. Like many other downtown stores, S.H. Kress was known for its elaborate window displays. However, when the store was remodeled in the late 1950s or 1960s large plate glass windows took the place of display cases. I don't remember the store before the display cases were removed from the windows, the original floors were covered with tile and a false ceiling installed. It was an attractive modern store, with a high ceiling on the main floor, but the Savannah store which was never updated was much more appealing. As the Knoxville store was closing, I asked my mother to buy some table knives from the luncheonette with the Kress name inscribed on them. I thought of them as keepsakes, but I don't think I have seen them since. Hopefully, they will eventually surface in some of my mother's things.

At 516 South Gay Street, the S&W Cafeteria's tan terra cotta exterior also contrasted with its neighbors. Possibly the best example of art deco style architecture in East Tennessee, the front held up well over twenty-eight years of neglect. The S&W served its last meal in 1981, a few months before S.H. Kress closed. I met my family there and we took pictures. Between the green checkerboard terrazzo floor and the plaster molding on the ceiling, the walls were lined with exotic woods, marble, and gold tinted mirrors. Brass rails looped around the mezzanine and down the circular stairs. Diners were serenated with the live music of an organist. The food, reasonably priced was unforgettable. My favorite entrée was flounder. The kitchen was in the basement. Food arrived within the serving island on dumbwaiters. A sign that read "one line now serving" or "two lines now serving" was illuminated from behind by incandescent bulbs, but it seemed quite sophisticated to a youth of the predigital age. By the time the building was refurbished in 2009, for use by a restaurant that quickly failed, it has been stripped of much of its splendor and the roof had leaked damaging some of the plaster moldings. Standing water could be seen on the floor. Today the building is occupied by a cosmetology school.

At 604 South Gay Street, history was much kinder to the Tennessee Theatre. Constructed in 1928, in a Spanish Moorish style, it was originally designed to showcase silent movies with its legendary organ, "the mighty Wurlitzer", that seemingly rises from beneath the floor. In a short time after the theatre's completion, "talkies" (movies with sound) displaced the stars of the silent screen. The Tennessee Theatre closed in 1977, but continued on occasion to show classic movies. Later, it was refurbished and the stage was expanded to accommodate live performances.

East Tennesseans have rediscovered in South Gay Street what was East Tennessee's main street for generations. Foot traffic has increased dramatically. I still enjoy going downtown, but I would enjoy it more if I could still shop at S.H. Kress and dine at the S&W.