Walking in Downtown Rome you can get a sense of the history from the architecture and some of the historic buildings. Here is a closer look at some of the buildings you may not recognize as you visit your favorite places!
Brewhouse/Super-D Store
Ask a Roman who’s been here all their life and they’ll tell you stories of childhood and how this building changed so much through the years! Originally, this location was home to The Opera House, which was the principal center for entertainment ranging from Dresden, Boston, and New York symphonies to local productions. The Opera House was destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of Dec. 31, 1919. The building was re-built in 1920 by Ike May and still today is called the May Building. The locals have talked about the Super D that was here for many years. Super D was open during the 60′s through the 80′s and was owned by a man named Paul Frambro. Before then it was Allen’s 5 and 10 Store in the 50′s.
Forrest Place
First opened in 1915 as a hotel in Rome, Georgia, this first class hotel quickly became the social center of Floyd County. In it’s time the hotel was host to many noted guest such as Ronald Reagan, and many movie stars of the day. This memorable landmark has been lovingly restored to it’s original grandeur and offers an ideal setting for meetings, rehearsal dinners, reunions, parties, weddings and receptions.
City Creamery/Rivoli Theatre
One of four prominent theatres at the time and was known for playing Vaudeville. The reason there were several in downtown Rome was because of the single viewing screens that they could accommodate, unlike modern theatres of today. Other theatres include the Gordon Theatre, DeSoto, and Opera House. Currently, the city creamery resides in the building space, where you can get fresh soft serve and coffee and hot cocoa.
Claremont House
The Claremont House was built in 1882 and is a beautiful Victorian style home. The house features 5 bedrooms, all with private baths.
Schroeder’s Deli Old/New
A delicious staple in Rome for decades! Schroeder’s has undergone few changes throughout the years, still showing off the oldies vibes while serving up tasty food daily. You can’t talk to a Roman without mention of Schroeder’s!
Rome Fire Department
Rome’s beloved firefighters have been working out of the fire department for decades, here is a snippet of how far we’ve come together!
G.C. Murphy Storefront/La Scala, Roman Trading Co. and Merle Norman
The G.C. Murphy Co. storefront was home to multiple little shops and even a diner. Now, it is home to the La Scala Mediterranean Bistro, Roman Trading Co. and Merle Norman businesses.
This was interesting! I was born and raised in Rome and still continue to have interest in Roman history. In the
60’s, when I was in high school and college, I worked at Murphy’s, which was a large store that included departments of clothing, home decor, toys, music and even pets like birds, hamsters, and fish. There was also a lunch counter. It was an education unto itself, as I often filled in when the full time employees were not scheduled or were on vacation. I never worked the lunch counter, but I did help in the stock room! To my knowledge, there was not another store like G.C. Murphy, Co.