ABSTRACT
In 1954 when the International Downtown Executives Association (IDEA) first formed, American downtowns were in decline but not many knew it. Department stores bustled with shoppers and sponsored huge holiday festivals. Historic "movie palaces" still appealed to broad audiences in an era before films and theaters were segmented to suit demographic niches. Commuters streamed in by trolley, bus, and train, choosing, in larger cities, from as many as four local newspapers. Nearby factories made clothes, hats, radios, locomotives, trucks, and cars, refined sugar, and processed steel. Longshoremen still lugged cargo from freighters on central waterfronts.
