Great Work Spitfire
Hello Spitfire, I appreciate your keen eye for detail, and your ability to carry out your ideal work to perfection, you truly are a perfectionist However I for one have always appreciated the original designs of the storefronts of the 1880's, and in Kalamazoo, Mich. where I live, nearly all of the owners of the downtown buildings have torn down the retro storefronts, and replaced them with the original type that were on them when built, and it is truly a joy to go shopping in town now, instead of going to the malls. May be it is because of our age, and that it is nostalgic to us, as I grew up in Flint, Mich. in the 1940's through the 1950's, and remember most of the old downtown as it was when built in the late 1800's period, however there were some buildings that had changed their fronts to the Nuvo style by then. My wife and I love to go to town and do our Christmas shopping, or spend a Saturday afternoon shopping and eating at the old original Cony Island hot dog restaurant as they haven't changed since built in 1892, and are still owned and run by the original family passed down.
Please understand, I'm not putting down your appreciation for the retro style, and you are so right, that most of the buildings seen all over the Mid West are now done that way, and to stay as realistic as possible, when modeling from the 1960's to now, your railroad will be more authentic when you have made your modifications. Enjoy
"KEEP ON TOOTIN"