[mhays]

Yes the aerial from the 30s is lying. Who erased all the buildings!?

As for the backbone of its development, the two main draws in my opinion are the Bellevue Square Mall (built in 40s, expanded/densified every since) and the bus transit center (80s), both of which are a decent walk from the old part of Main.

In fact, Main is kind of a separate node. It has a lot of midrise housing. It's separated from the newer downtown by a couple blocks of sprawly properties. This is only changing now as additional projects break ground as the current boom gets going, finally connecting things better.