Tennessee State Capitol Hillside

The hillside below the capitol, which was once littered with run down shacks and shanties, were removed under a redevelopment program that occurred in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.
The hill below the Capitol down to the L&N Railroad tracks, now clean, offered a grand view of the majestic building that had never been better.

Beyond the railroad tracks, between 5th to 8th avenues down to Jefferson Street, many businesses continued to operate. These included a food supermarket named Farmers Market, and an open-air market called the Farm Market where farmers offered their produce and processed meats for sale. In the1990’s, the area had became plagued with high crime and the Farm Market had evolved into more of a flea market.

All of the remaining buildings in the area were torn down in the late 1990's, including the Farmers market store and old Farm Market and construction on a 19-acre situated between 6th and 7th Avenues park would begin. The Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park would open to the public on May 31st, 1996.