Take a look at this photo, ostensibly dated 1985 from the Chicago Tribune, depicting a mall that (in current times) is about to get razed and redeveloped.

Let’s see, in 1985, I would’ve been 7 or 8 years old.

Holy hell! Did things really look that… old, back then? I mean, the cars, the signs… they look so… well, OLD! I would’ve easily pegged this image as being early 70s if I had not been told of the date. In fact part of me still has doubts!

23 years down the road, am I gonna look at photos I took of my car recently and think “DAMN! I owned THAT old jalopy?!”

Maybe it’s just that the photo was shot in black and white that makes it appear so dated. I mean, Christ, when did people finally get it that shooting in color isn’t so bad, particularly for historical preservation purposes?