Remember 8mm film? I bet your rich uncle or aunt had one and used to shoot fottage of stuff like graduations and football games back in the day.

The problem with 8mm camera shots from the '50s is that people had little skill in knowing what to shoot or how to shoot it creatively. Hence, we get this really random scan of downtown Grand Rapids in 1953. See if you can recognize the streets.

The footage, which was converted to video by Peterson Design Studio, shows some classic GR landmarks of the day, like Herpolsheimer's Department Store, a wonderful blinking Pegasus neon sign at a Mobilgas and Peck's Drug Store.

One thing is certain -- Grand Rapids in 1953 had to deal with crappy weather just like we do.

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