The Nation Embraces the Automobile
Automobile travel swept Bowling Green and the rest of the nation during the 1920s. Drivers enjoyed the freedom of traveling by car on the Dixie highway from Michigan to Florida. People stopped in Bowling Green along the way to shop, visit relatives, go to college, or tour Lost River Cave.
As auto travel continued to grow, businesses constructed specialized buildings to hold cars, trucks and farm equipment. In Bowling Green, the Modern Automotive District, listed on the National Register of historic Places, includes three automotive structures from the late 1940s that were located on the Dixie Highway.
Automobiles Come of Age
Galloway Motors is the yellow tile building with a long stretch of curved windows that was designed to show off the latest and fanciest new cars. Across the street, the same family sold farm equipment in the two story structure. Both buildings have highly reflective, glazed ceramic tile that caught the attention of drivers both day and night. Architect James Ingram designed both Galloway buildings. The concrete block structure across the street with an entry sheathed in enameled steel panels is the Hardcastle Filling Station, designed to sell gas and service cars. All three buildings represent the Modern Automotive District that commemorates auto
design after World War II.
Circus Square
Bowling Green decided to rejuvenate this area in 2002. The creation of Circus Square
was part of a larger project that brought new business and entertainment to the city. The name "Circus Square" is based upon an 1877 map. When a circus came to town long ago, it was an exciting and memorable event; crowds watched as animals and performers paraded around Fountain Square. That same energy infects this area today, as bands play, children use the fountain to cool off and people picnic on the lawn, all in view of the Modern Automotive Historic District.
Hardcastle Filling Station, 1949
A proud couple and their 1949 Ford.
Top: Several small circuses visited Bowling Green regularly, including John Robinson's Circus. Bottom: A sign on the side of the cage states, "These are Lions."
Above: Automobiles crowd Fountain Square, late 1930s.
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