Editing Morristown, Tennessee (section)

====Downtown emergence and the "Skymart" project====
{{See also|Morristown Main Street Historic District}}

By 1833, Morristown had its first post office and store located along Main Street.<ref name="registrationform"/> Fourteen years later, [[Railway|railroad lines]] were built, stimulating further commercial growth until the beginning of the [[American Civil War]].<ref name="registrationform"/> Morristown's Main Street district, measuring approximately {{convert|1|sqmi|km2}}, arose from the intersection of two railroad lines, gradually turning Morristown into wholesale/retail hub after the end of the Civil War.<ref name="registrationform"/>

At the start of the 20th century, new buildings were erected in the downtown area, including the Henry Street Post Office, the First National Bank Building, and the Princess Theater. The Princess Theater was the first theater in Morristown and showcased touring musical acts, ministerial shows, pageants, films, and special [[Grand Ole Opry]] performances. Following the opening of theaters in neighboring shopping complexes, the Princess Theater closed in 1982, and  was demolished in 1995.<ref name="registrationform"/>

Following the 1950s, the downtown district saw losses in revenue, as a suburban shopping mall on the city's west side jeopardized businesses downtown. The city developed a plan to modernize Main Street by creating an "overhead sidewalk" as part of the nationwide push for [[urban renewal]] projects, enabling businesses to form on the second floor of existing buildings while serving as a canopy for passage below. Building owners spent nearly $2 million ($16 million today) upgrading their properties and linking them to ramps, while the government contributed over $5 million to build the elevated walkways.<ref name="registrationform"/> The underground channel for Turkey Creek was also enlarged and rerouted. In 1962, Turkey Creek, which bisects the street, flooded and damaged the downtown commercial district. The project was completed in 1967, becoming the first second-story sidewalk system in an American city.<ref name="nytmart">{{cite news |title=Second-Story Sidewalks Are Built in Tennessee City; Downtown Skymart in Morristown Held First in Nation |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/05/21/archives/secondstory-sidewalks-are-built-in-tennessee-city-downtown-skymart.html |access-date=January 1, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 21, 1967}}</ref> Over time, the Skymart has served as little more than a remnant of the idealism of 1960s urban renewal projects. Despite the aftermath of the project, the overhead sidewalks still stand in the downtown area.<ref name="summary">{{cite web|title=Morristown Main Street Historic District|url= https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/16000120.htm|access-date=November 1, 2018|website=NPS.gov}}</ref><ref name="visit">{{cite web |title=History and Heritage |url=https://www.visitmorristowntn.com/history-heritage |website=Visit Morristown, Tennessee |access-date=July 23, 2020}}</ref>

Morristown is embarking on a resurrection of the Skymart, eyeing the structure as a key [[redevelopment]] tool for turning downtown into a social and commercial hub. It has been made a key element in a greenway master plan along Turkey Creek, with plans to connect downtown Morristown to Cherokee Park and [[Cherokee Lake]].<ref name="tcgreeenway">{{cite web |title=Turkey Creek Greenway |url=https://www.mymorristown.com/departments/community_development/special_projects/turkey_creek_greenway.php |website=City of Morristown |access-date=September 14, 2020}}</ref><ref name="greeenwayrelocate">{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Robert |title=Greenway path relocation resulted in contract extension |url=https://www.citizentribune.com/news/local/greenway-path-relocation-resulted-in-contract-extension/article_1ff83128-4cbb-11e9-ac91-0323d987a580.html |access-date=September 17, 2020 |work=Citizen Tribune |date=March 22, 2019}}</ref> In an effort to renew public interest, city officials, the Crossroads Downtown Partnership, and the Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce hold events in the city's downtown or the "Skymart District" throughout the year, mainly during the warmer months of May to September.<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Story {{!}} Historic Downtown Morristown, TN - Timeless Shopping. Dining. & Entertainment.|url=https://downtownmorristown.city/historic-downtown-morristown-tn/|website=downtownmorristown.city|access-date=February 6, 2018}}</ref>