Well, there certainly has been a lot of changes along Commercial Avenue, the main street of Cairo, since the last time I was here.
First of all, we’re down to two buildings on the east side of the street, when there were four the first time I visited. I suspect there will be none soon.
A common theme, like at Pompeii or other Roman ruins, is the presence of the tile floors being left behind. I suspect there are not many, if any basements or cellars in Cairo due to the incredibly low-lying nature of its location.
But look where the cast iron storefronts come from: St. Louis.
Alas, that one long-lasting lightbulb is burned out.
There was a big controversy and lawsuits regarding the public housing in Cairo since the last time I was here. It turns out the white officials who ran the housing authority were stealing federal funding for junkets! HUD came in and demolished most of the public housing, except for that apartment tower off in the distance. Long story, but many low-income residents have now moved out of town, which accounts for at least some of the dramatic population loss in the 2020 census, which was around 1,600, or in other words, around 10% of Cairo’s population at its height.
The front doorway’s tile floors survive on the west side of Commercial. I’m not sure why I didn’t notice them before.
The old abandoned armory is visible to the south.
That cool apartment building on 7th Street is still holding on.
Along with that brick house next to it, which I suspect was once the home of a well-to-do resident of Cairo due to its building material.
Walking around to the west or left, we spot the Gem Theater across the vacant lots.
I guess you would say the theater is doing as well as you would expect.
Yikes, what happened on the other side? The former Elks Lodge, which looked like it was perfectly fine a few years ago has completely collapsed into a giant pile of rubble.
A few buildings hold on along Washington Avenue.
As I remarked to someone, even in the poorest communities, there’s a bank making a lot of money.
