From the archives: Imagine a skylift with Swiss cable cars over downtown Wilmington

With downtown Wilmington in the beginning of struggling times, officials looked to the sky for a way to attract tourists.

According to an article in the Oct. 20, 1977, Wilmington Morning Star, the directors of the Greater Wilmington Merchants Association met to discuss the feasibility of running cable cars from downtown Wilmington to the Battleship North Carolina. The idea of a skylift with Swiss cable cars connecting the two spots had been floated around through much of the decade.

One of the association members brought up a trip to Switzerland, where he first observed several lifts in operation. The association considered two cars fully enclosed that would hold 25-100 people. They would ride on top of two cables and propelled by a third moving cable.

Three places were considered to pick up and drop off tourists: Front and Grace streets, the southwest end of the Water Street Parking Deck and the middle of Market Street between Front Street and the Cape Fear River.

While some feasibility studies were done, the idea didn't get off the ground.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: From the archives: Imagine a skylift with Swiss cable cars over downtown Wilmington