When I was a little kid, Broadway Street was the corridor to the Waynedale area.
Yep - that's right - that street - which used to be one of the most famous (not to mention historical and notorious) streets of Fort Wayne - was the path that we Waynedale peeps took into the downtown area.
As a car passenger, Broadway was like a familiar, yet undiscovered country for me. Turning left (from Bluffton Road) was like getting a history lesson in less than 15 minutes. Businesses (small and mom and pop types) were scattered in between the close-knit, early 1900's and post-world war I neighborhoods.
There was always General Electric - massive - larger than live - a presence that was in essence - its own little city within a city.
And restaurants were plentiful. Zoli's (2426), Old Mill (3514), Bob's Place (1031), Fort Wayne Lunch (1308), Julie's Restaurant (1418), Leto's Pizza (1019), Manochio's (927), Senate Grill (1009), Ogg's Ralph Bar and Grill (1916), and Broadway Grill (1416).
Other businesses included (but definitely not a comprehensive list) Broadway Sewing Center (928), Maloley's (1101), Brass Rail Bar (1121), Koegel's Jewelers (1309), Norm's Glass Bar (1420), Custom Bilt (1908), Falls Tap (2012), Kirby Sales (2018), Swifty's (2024), Kip's Tavern (2034), Hire's (2042), Fort Wayne Lumber (2047), Broadway Car Wash (2202), Jocquel Supply Company (2206), Allen County Tires (2210), R&R Health Spa (2211), Hans Decorating Center (2215), Stookey's (2216), The Polka Dot (2219),Durnell's (2502), Speed-E-Clean Laundromat (2508), Marathan Station (2515), Broadway Home Bakery (2609), Martin's Heating (2626), Permafloors (2725), Magic Fingers (2726), Texaco (2740), Fort Wayne Mirror Works (2829), Allied Pool Equipment (2915), Montgomery's (3138), Broadway 66 Service Station (3325), Edward's Photography (3433), Tri-State Service (3434), Cosgrove's (3437), Compact Vacuum (3503), Randall's (3518).
But I'm not done yet - more on these businesses later...
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