The Indiana Marching 100 rounds the corner from South College onto West Kirkwood during the 1953 NCAA basketball championship parade. Photo courtesy IU Archives

by SUSAN M. BRACKNEY

It might be a bit difficult—it’s not as if we have a time machine—but with the help of photographs and memories, it is possible to reconstruct the past.

While current Bloomingtonians bemoan the construction of apartment complexes and changes to the downtown, previous generations had their own favorite places that came and went.

It’s plain to see that, from the students who temporarily alight here to the townies who stay for good, Bloomington’s inhabitants have long shaped this place—and are shaped by it, too. Here, we take a look at the favorite haunts of decades past—the 1950s through the 1990s.

CLICK HERE TO READ “THE WAY WE WERE: BLOOMINGTON THROUGH THE DECADES”