Hammond, Indiana

 

 Historical Photos - Hohman Avenue

         
    Hohman Avenue
  looking Southwest

  1910

  The Courthouse is seen
  from the top of
  an adjacent building.

   
         
  Hohman Avenue
Looking South


1908

Climb to the top of the
Courthouse tower and
see what Hohman Ave
looks like. Open farmland
 can be seen on the
horizon.

 

   
         
         
         
    Hohman Avenue and
  Sibley Street
  looking Southwest

  1910

  This 1910 image has been
  hand painted since color
  photography had not yet
  been invented.

The corner with the clock later became the Goldblatt's window that featured animated Christmas characters in the 1940s and 50s.

   
         
    Hohman Avenue and
  Sibley Street
  looking  South

  1914

Notice the Lions Store clock also seen in the photo above. The tower of the Courthouse can be seen center-right as Hohman Avenue turns a the center of the picture.

 
   
         
 

The Hohman Block

Hohman Avenue
and State Street
Looking Southwest

Notice the Schlitz beer ad on the pulled down awning. When the advertiser didn't pay his bill you simply rolled up the awning.

This block was owned by Mrs. Hohman who held a lot of real estate in downtown Hammond.

   
         
  Hohman Avenue
South of State Street
Looking South

This real photo shows a street light hanging over the intersection. Later post card photos remove telephone posts and street lights to clean up the downtown image.

   
         
  Hohman Avenue
Looking North

1920

The Deluxe Theatre
takes over where the
Towle Theatre once
stood. Woolworth is
seen on the east side
of Hohman and would
later move north to the corner.
Automobiles, streetcars
and horse drawn buggies
all share the road in this
1920 photo.

   
         
  Hohman Avenue
Looking South
from Sibley

1950's

Here is the view most of us
remember from our days
of growing up in
Hammond, Indiana.

Goldblatt's Department Store
was the largest in Indiana at
one time. The corner window
at right center, displayed
the Christmas toys, electric
trains and moveable Elves from Santa's workshop. This window
was made famous by Jean
Shepherd's "The Christmas
Story."

 

 

   
 

  Above is a photo of the Goldblatt's Department Store in Hammond, Indiana. Behind the car making a right hand turn is the window for their annual Christmas display.

To the right is the Higbees Department Store featured in Jean Shepherd's  movie "The Christmas Story". But the Goldblatt's Christmas window is where kids lined up each year to pick out their favorite toy to put on their Christmas Wish List. In the movie, the Red Ryder BB gun was displayed in this Christmas window and started the storyline that always ended with the warning,
"You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"