Authored By Sean Phipps
A sample collection of more than 4,000 photo slides featuring 30 years of change in downtown Chattanooga have been digitally scanned. The slides were preserved as a part of River City Company’s archives, but they remained in storage for years. This week, NOOGAtoday was offered a sneak peek at a portion of the collection to share. Brian Velasquez, River City’s intern through PEF Chattanooga’s STEP-UP program, made the project his top priority this summer. The program offers rising high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to work with local companies. “He’s the reason we got all these slides digitized,” Amy Donohue, River City’s director of marketing and communication said. “We had always been thinking about them, but he finally got around to it. He did an amazing job going through all the slides and getting everything organized.” The collection highlights myriad changes to the downtown landscape from the late 1970s through the mid-1990s. Specifically, the photos show how leaders embraced the riverfront — with the construction of the Tennessee Aquarium, renovation of the Walnut Street Bridge — and re-imagined the South Broad Street area by creating the First Tennessee Pavilion and Finley Stadium. Donohue said River City Company is working to make the entire collection available to the public in the future. Many of the photos still need to be accurately dated. “These pictures are not useful sitting on a shared drive,” she said. “We’re working on figuring out the best way to share them to the public, but we haven’t had time to figure that out yet.” In the meantime, the photos offer a glimpse of how Chattanooga was transformed from “one of the dirtiest cities in America” in the 1960s to a destination city by the early 2000s. The photos: Five Nights Concert Series — 1981 A five-night concert series was held in 1981 on Tuesday nights where the current EPB Building stands at 10 W.M.L. King Blvd. Performers included B.B. King, Bill Monroe, Don McLean, Sarah Vaughan and Hank Williams, Jr. The series served as a prelude to the Riverbend Music Festival and what would become the Nightfall Concert Series. 
Walnut Street Bridge Built in the 1890s, the Walnut Street Bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in the late 1970s. It was reopened as a pedestrian-only bridge 1993 after years of fundraising. The bridge, which is now on the National Register of Historic Place, serves a centerpiece to Chattanooga’s riverfront. 
Coolidge Park Opened in 1999, Coolidge Park is a 13-acre public park on the Northshore of the Tennessee River. 
Tennessee Aquarium The Tennessee Aquarium opened in 1992 on Chattanooga’s riverfront. It served as a pillar for the redevelopment of Chattanooga’s downtown. Construction began in Nov. 1988, and the aquarium opened to the public on May 1, 1992. 
Finley-Davenport Stadium/First Tennessee Pavilion Opened in 1997, Finley Stadium was a cornerstone of the Southside revitalization project. It is now home to Chattanooga Football Club and UTC football home games. The adjacent First Tennessee Pavilion was originally a part of the Ross-Meehan Foundry. It houses a variety of events throughout the year, including the weekly Chattanooga Market on Sundays. 
