Downtown – Morristown, Tennessee
Morristown is a Tennessee Main Street community. This is an indicator that they follow the four-point approach to commercial district revitalization. This focuses on action in four areas – design, organization, economic restructuring, and promotion. Design is the point where Morristown stands out as an exemplar and outlier due to the pedestrian structures accessing upper floors.
The reinforced concrete sidewalk structures make available upper floors for uses more typically of street level. In reality, however, not many such uses exist. The structures also cast a shadow on the storefronts below, making it difficult to stand out.
Where the overhead structures are at their best is when they show details of the upper floors that would not be quite as visible from the ground. Of course, when the buildings were originally constructed they were never intended to be viewed up close, and the details were designed to be visible from the ground. Another benefit of the crossings is when they cross over the street midblock. This separation of different transportation modalities (cars and pedestrians) was likely a major selling point of this project. The relatively limited car traffic we witnessed during our visit, however, showed that the street was more than capable of accommodating both cars and people.
At some locations viewing platforms cantilever from the walk structure. Here they give a vantage point to take in a special vista. Such is the case with the Coca Cola ghost sign on the third level of this building. In reality this is not a daily or weekly routine, but a one-time or infrequent routine at best. Thus having the upper floor vista points does not generate additional foot traffic. A comparison with the High Line in New York City reveals where the structure in Morristown, resembles and differs in structure, function, and appearance. Both are functional at their core. Appearance of the High Line is clearly superior by incorporating art and plantings that make for an interesting walk. These exposed structures above the street level in Morristown lack the same sense of enclosure and comfort that the High Line has. Entering the second floor of buildings and going through and between buildings is another opportunity that might make Morristown more interesting.
This slender bulletin board provides a convenient place to post info about community events. It has a lock and key limiting who is able to post. Yellowing of the cork board inside also shows where postings were for a very long time before being removed.
The Historic Pedestrian Garden was built in 1990. The curved pathway and use of tile and brick paving materials make for a nice small space in the heart of the downtown. Seating did not appear to be actively used because there was still snow on the bench. This does, however, resemble the High Line in New York and present a tantalizing suggestion of how the pedestrian structures might be softened and repurposed to create a pedestrian experience more connected with nature and less purely functional.
Upper floors in thriving downtowns are repurposed for offices and housing. Here the boarded windows show that no such support for these uses exist either by policy or in the market place. The stop for pedestrians in crosswalks sign shows that the crossing may not be well designed. The yellow curbs need to be stepped over by not just pedestrians, but for people in strollers and in wheel chairs. Making the sidewalk and the street crossing barrier free would send the message that vehicles should yield. As designed this is an unsafe and not particuarly functional street crossing. It seems much of the design thinking was spent on the overhead structures neglecting the experience at street level.
For uperfloor uses not all hope is lost. These gorgeous multi-floor bay windows allow for an impressive amount of light. One of the bays has been retrofitted with a door opening at the second floor level. The shade over the storefront below makes the signage indecipherable.
Similarly, this storefront is also lost in shadow because of the overhead structure. Somewhat less so, however, because of the relatively high placement of the structure over ground floor level. The arcaded relieving arches at the second floor level are an architectural feature of some skill in execution and interest in viewing.
We observed some viable stores on ground floor level including Rowena’s on Main and a Candy Shop.
The contrast of old and new is most stark here. Overhead cornices and architectrual details are among the finest that can be found in any downtown. The buildings themselves, however, are obscured by the structure in front, casting shadow on the storefronts below. It’s hard to imagine how this would not be improved by removal of the pedestrian structure. Again, upper floor architectural details here just as in the Greek temples were meant to be viewed from the ground. Articulation, massing, size, and proportion of these details are all oriented to someone standing on ground level. For the benefit of seeing them up close, the cost of taking away from the historic character of the buildings and streetscapes is far greater.
There is hope. One last photo shows a portion of the downtown without the structure. Here the facades of the building can be seen in their entirety. Interestingly, a metal fence structure makes it impossible to walk across the street mid-block. This seeming control of the pedestrian experience and how people navigate the downtown would best be removed and allow free circulation to resume.