Sometimes called Toccoa’s Main Street, Doyle Street was once closed to vehicular traffic and covered with concrete canopies. The removal of these monstrosities was the beginning of a long-time revitalization plan which culminated in Toccoa being named one of the top 10 “Main Streets” in the nation. It’s an ongoing process and is very inspiring. (Travel Note: If you’re in Toccoa, don’t miss a breakfast or lunch at BJ’s Family Restaurant, seen on the far right above. I had the best breakfast I’ve ever eaten there, and the staff treats everyone like they’re locals).
Downtown Toccoa Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 
Brian, I was in Junior high or high School when those concrete canopies were erected. It was shortly after Lenox Square (original unenclosed) was opened in north Atlanta. Toccoa was hailed by city planners and the media as a forward thinking city that had “preserved” the economic viability of downtown by turning it into a suburban mall. What goes round comes round.