Editing Meridian, Mississippi (section)

===Hotels===
{| style="float:right; background:#eee; border:1px solid #ddd; margin:5px"
|+ '''Historic hotels in Meridian'''
|-
|[[File:Great Southern Hotel Meridian, Mississippi.jpg|166px]]
|[[File:Hotel Meridian Postcard.jpg|128px]]
|-
|Great Southern Hotel (1890)
|[[Hotel Meridian]] (1907)
|-
|[[File:Union Hotel Meridian, MS.jpg|155px]]
|[[File:Lamar Hotel.JPG|138px]]
|-
|[[Union Hotel (Meridian, Mississippi)|Union Hotel]] (1908)
|[[Lamar Hotel]] (1927)
|}
{{Main|Hotels in Meridian, Mississippi}}
Given Meridian's site as a railroad junction, its travelers have attracted the development of many hotels. Even before Meridian reached its "Golden Age," several large hotels, including the Great Southern and the Grand Avenue hotels, were built before the start of the 20th century.<ref name=shankhotels>{{cite book |last=Shank |first=Jack |title=Meridian: The Queen with a Past|publisher=Southeastern Printing Company|location=Meridian, Mississippi|year=1986|isbn=0-9616123-2-0|volume=II|pages=6–12|chapter=Chapter 2: A City of Hotels}}</ref> With the growth of the railroads and the construction of the original [[Union Station (Meridian, Mississippi)|Union Station]] in 1906, many hotels were constructed for passengers and workers.<ref name=DowntownHD/> The Elmira Hotel was constructed in 1905,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meridianms.org/downtownhistoricresources/1.html|title=Elmira Hotel|publisher=City of Meridian|access-date=January 3, 2012}}</ref> and the Terminal Hotel was constructed in 1910.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meridianms.org/downtownhistoricresources/4.html|title=Terminal Hotel|publisher=City of Meridian|access-date=January 3, 2012}}</ref> [[Hotel Meridian]] was constructed in 1907, and [[Union Hotel (Meridian, Mississippi)|Union Hotel]] was built in 1908.<ref name=shankhotels/> Union Hotel was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1979,<ref name=nris/> and both Hotel Meridian and Grand Avenue Hotel were listed as [[contributing properties]] to the [[Meridian Urban Center Historic District]].<ref name=DowntownHD/>

As the city grew, the hotels reflected ambitions of the strong economy, as evidenced by the 11-story skyscraper [[Lamar Hotel]] built in 1927.<ref name=shankhotels/> Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, the Lamar Hotel was adapted for use as a county annex building.<ref name=nris/> In 1988 it was listed as a [[Mississippi Landmark]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/Public/prop.aspx?id=16636&view=facts&y=774|title=Lamar Hotel|publisher=Mississippi Department of Archives and History|access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref> The [[E.F. Young Hotel]] was built in 1931.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.efyoungjr.com/current/The_Legacy/the_legacy.html|title=The Legacy|publisher=E.F. Young, Jr., Manufacturing Company|year=1999|access-date=January 4, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704111540/http://www.efyoungjr.com/current/The_Legacy/the_legacy.html|archive-date=July 4, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> A staple in the African-American business district that developed west of the city's core, the hotel was one of the only places in the city during the years of segregation where a traveling African American could find a room.<ref name=DowntownHD/>

As the city suburbs developed in the 1960s and '70s, most hotels moved outside of downtown. Rehabilitation of the [[Riley Center]] in 2006 has increased demand and a push for a new downtown hotel.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Jennifer Jacob |url=http://meridianstar.com/local/x657346372/Threefoot-Building-Part-1-Looking-at-all-our-options |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712170711/http://meridianstar.com/local/x657346372/Threefoot-Building-Part-1-Looking-at-all-our-options |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |title=Threefoot Building: Part 1 'Looking at all our options': Development, demolition and stabilization |date=June 27, 2010 |newspaper=The Meridian Star |access-date=January 5, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Frye |first=Georgia E. |url=http://meridianstar.com/local/x681064804/Riley-Center-officials-get-set-to-go |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712212522/http://meridianstar.com/local/x681064804/Riley-Center-officials-get-set-to-go |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |title=Riley Center officials get set to go |date=August 20, 2006 |newspaper=The Meridian Star |access-date=January 5, 2012 }}</ref> The [[Threefoot Building]] has been proposed for redevelopment for this purpose, but restoration efforts stalled with a change in city administrations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Jennifer Jacob |url=http://meridianstar.com/local/x2088985616/City-working-on-downtown-hotel |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710003256/http://meridianstar.com/local/x2088985616/City-working-on-downtown-hotel |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |title=City working on downtown hotel |date=June 12, 2011 |newspaper=The Meridian Star |access-date=January 5, 2012 }}</ref> The Threefoot Preservation Society was formed in 2013 to raise public awareness and support for the building's renovation, featuring tours of the first floor and anniversary events.