Commercial Strip

The commercial strip is a linear grouping of commercial properties along a major road or highway. It is made up of a wide range of property types geared toward the automobile traveler and area resident. In addition to commercial space, integral components include the commercial sign and parking lot. The sign is designed to draw the attention of the passing motorist, and the parking lot serves the automobile consumer, to whom the strip caters. Strips are typically removed from the downtown of small and large cities. Many towns have a commercial strip located on either end of Main Street, outside the central business area.

Although early commercial strips developed along trolley lines and roads that radiated outward from the central city, the automobile and postwar suburban movement had the largest impact on strip development. As the American public became more mobile and moved to newly developed suburban [Page 172]areas, commercial centers continued to expand along established highways. This commercial expansion resulted in clusters of businesses arranged in a linear fashion along roads, commonly referred to as commercial strips. In many areas, the strip quickly replaced the downtown as a shopping destination. Shoppers appreciated avoiding the traffic congestion of the central city and enjoyed the offstreet parking provided by strip businesses.

The strip contained a variety of business types and appealed to several groups of people. It included motels, hotels, gas stations, diners, and fastfood restaurants geared toward the traveling motorist. Businesses geared to the suburban resident included supermarkets, florists, dry cleaners, clothing stores, and a wide variety of retail establishments. It became possible to purchase anything you needed without making a trip into the central city. Because the strip catered to the automobile owner, it also included a concentration of automobilerelated businesses. It was common for the strip to include service stations, new and used automobile dealerships, automobile parts stores, and salvage yards. This variety of business types created a varied commercial landscape.

The placement and architecture of commercial buildings evolved to become more visible to the automobile traveler. Everything was designed to be perceptible to the motorist traveling at a speed of 30 miles per hour. This resulted in larger signs with bold, simple language. Signs were typically located at the street, separated from the building by a parking lot, and used simple English words that provided succinct information on the goods and services available. For example, eat, food, gas, motel, and free TV were common terms along the roadside. New buildings were constructed at the rear of the lot and parallel to the street to increase both parking and storefront display space. Buildings took the form of the popular and eyecatching art deco and streamline moderne styles, which used smooth wall surfaces, horizontal emphases, and geometric motifs.

As the commercial strip developed, the strip mall became a popular addition. The strip mall consisted of a large building with several storefronts that housed various retail and service stores with a large private parking area. The building was typically onestory with large storefront windows for displaying products. Storefronts were often sheltered by a canopy or located within an arcade, so that shoppers were protected from the elements. The Lplan and rectangular form were the most popular, as they maximized the lot space, provided adequate parking, and allowed window displays to be seen by the passing motorist. The Uplan with central courtyard parking was the least popular because the motorist passing at a moderate speed was not able to see the window displays and signage clearly.

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