Construction unveils old advertisements on Cherokee Boulevard

Old advertisements cover a wall next to 325 Cherokee Blvd., Thursday, December 10, 2015, at the Lee Highway memorial
Old advertisements cover a wall next to 325 Cherokee Blvd., Thursday, December 10, 2015, at the Lee Highway memorial

When a building wall was demolished next to Dojo Chattanooga, owner Trevor Haines couldn't believe what had been covered up on his own wall for years.

"I felt like I stepped through a time warp," he said.

Giant painted advertisements line the brick wall of his martial arts facility adjacent to construction at 325 Cherokee Blvd., where a multimillion-dollar office and retail structure is being built. Construction on the 18,000-square-foot facility is expected to be complete early in the summer.

In the meantime, motorists and pedestrians will get a peek into mid-20th century nostalgia and wonder what a 20-cent hamburger or a 15-cent toast and coffee combo would taste like.

Along with the old-fashioned dining menu, giant ads for Double Cola and Sealtest Ice Cream still retain most of their color.

Haines' favorite ad is the one for a pharmacy that features a five-digit phone number.

"I'm turning 49 this month," he said. "But I never, ever experienced a five-digit number."

Haines doesn't know when the brightly colored advertisements were painted, but said the building he's in was built in 1929.

"They look like something done in the mid to late '40s to me, if I were to guess," he said.

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