You can even see the time-lapse images of scaffolding being erected around the Washington Monument for its restoration. This site from the National Park Service will guide you the presidential parks throughout the country. There are links to the parks honoring everyone since George Washington. There's even trivia. Retail businesses especially are suffering from changing retail patterns and shopping habits.
Local residents are more mobile than in past decades.
They feel free to travel to the nearest shopping center or mall. In the 1960s, shopping centers began growing into serious competitors for downtown's customers. It is a competition that largely has been won by the ubiquitous shopping centers, malls, strip commercial areas and major discount centers.