Recently in Lost Knoxville Found Category

Knox Heritage announced its 2010 list of the most endangered historic buildings and places in Knoxville and Knox County on May 14 at 11:00 a.m. The announcement took place in the Maplehurst Neighborhood on W. Hill Avenue.

Every May during National Preservation Month, Knox Heritage releases its list of the most endangered historic buildings and places in Knox County to educate the public and local leaders about the plight of significant historic resources. Often, the endangered buildings and places are representative of issues that endanger similar parts of our heritage across the community.

The historic places included on the list are selected by the Knox Heritage Board of Directors from nominations received from members of Knox Heritage and the general public. The list provides a work plan for the organization over the next 12 months. Preservation strategies are developed for each site on the list and can include working with current property owners, government officials, citizens and/or potential new owners to preserve these important parts of Knox County's heritage. Knox Heritage is committed to acting as an advocate for the endangered properties we identify each year. We invite the community to join us in our efforts to save our endangered heritage through advocacy and action. To volunteer, please contact Knox Heritage at 523-8008 or info@knoxheritage.org.

Knox Heritage advocates for the preservation of places and structures with historic or cultural significance. Founded in 1974, Knox Heritage is the non-profit historic preservation organization for Knoxville and Knox County. It is governed by a board of directors with representatives from across our community. Knox Heritage carries out its mission through a variety of programs and encourages community support through education and advocacy.

2010 Knox County's Most Endangered Historic Places

1. Knoxville High School - 101 E. Fifth Avenue.

2. Martin-Russell House - 11409 Kingston Pike.

3. Cowan Cottage - 701 16th Street.

4. The Eugenia Williams House - 4848 Lyons View Pike.

5. Knoxville College National Register District - 901 College Street.

6. Standard Knitting Mill -1400 Washington Avenue.

7. Cal Johnson Building - 301 State Street.

8. Fort Sanders Houses & Grocery - 307 18th Street & 1802, 1804, 1810 Highland Avenue.

9. The McClung Warehouses - 501-525 W. Jackson Avenue.

10. The Pickle Mansion - 1633 Clinch Avenue.

11. Isaac Anderson Cabin - Creekrock Lane - Shannondale Valley Farms

12. Scenic Vistas and Ridgetops.
          - Fort Stanley
          - French Broad River Corridor

13. Vacant Historic Knox County School Buildings:
          - Oakwood Elementary (232 E. Churchwell Avenue)
          - South High (801 Tipton Avenue)
          - Rule High (1901 Vermont Avenue)

14. Odd Fellows Cemetery - 2001 Bethel Avenue.

15. Admiral David Farragut Birthplace. Stoney Point.

In January of 2005, it looked like six historic buildings in the 500 block of Gay Street, located between the Farragut Building to the south and the Fidelity Bank Building to the north, would be lost. They would be replaced by a sprawling new multi-screen cinema complex that government and business leaders hoped would be the missing link for downtown Knoxville's rebirth. It seemed that many Knoxvillians were ready to sacrifice the buildings for that ever-elusive thing known as "progress." That same month the Knox Heritage Board of Directors gathered and voted to oppose the demolition of the iconic structures, including the S&W Cafeteria Building, the Athletic House, the former WROL studios, the Walgreen's Building and the Gaut Ogden Stationers Building.

One phone call transformed that looming battle into a cooperative effort between Knox Heritage and the City of Knoxville. That call between Knox Heritage Board President Finbarr Saunders and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam was the first step in pulling the 500 block of Gay Street back from the brink. For more than two decades most of the buildings had stood vacant as multiple redevelopment plans fell through. They dodged bullet after bullet - a Knox County government plan to demolish them for a new downtown justice center and jail; demolition for a City of Knoxville transit center combined with a theater multiplex; and general neglect that resulted in collapsed roofs and crumbling facades. 

As Mayor Haslam waited in an airport for a plane that day in January, he and now County Commissioner Saunders agreed to take a second look at the project and see if a compromise could be found. The final agreement they reached allowed 45 days for Knox Heritage to propose an alternative design that would preserve as much of the historic fabric as possible while meeting the goals of the city and the needs of Regal Entertainment Group.

That effort, begun more than four years ago, laid the groundwork for the construction of the new Regal Riviera and the preservation of some of Knoxville's most beloved historic buildings. Downtown now has its successful movie theatre and, thanks to the local development team of John Craig, Mike Hatcher, Tim Hill and Dane Baker, it will also have its historic buildings filled with the S&W Grand Cafe, Coolato Gelato, professional offices and retail space - all in the same space once set aside for the new cinema alone. The attention to detail in the restorations is rare and will surely be appreciated once they are unveiled. The first business, Coolato Gelato, will open within the week, many of the offices will be filled in the coming month and the S&W Grand Cafe is scheduled to open its doors in September. It's a success story few expected in the winter of 2005.

All historic photos courtesy of the McClung Collection - Knox County Public Library.

500 Block of Gay Street Looking North - June 2009

500 Block of Gay Street Looking North - 1925 

This photo from the McClung Collection shows the Farragut Building in the far right corner. The next building advertises Electro-Turkish Baths and was built in the alley that once led to the circa 1830 Crozier Mansion. The next two buildings to the north are what we know today as the WROL / Central House Hotel Building and the Athletic House / Knaffl Brothers Building. The next two buildings to the north were combined and given a new facade to create the S&W Cafeteria in 1937. The Gaut Ogden Stationers Building stood between the S&W and the original Riviera Theatre, but could not be saved after decades of neglect. The Walgreen's Building just south of the Fidelity Bank Building met the same fate.

The S&W Building - 1937

The S&W Building - June 2009

The Art Deco style exterior of the building retains most of its historic materials, unlike the interior which was largely destroyed by decades of neglect. The building will be the home of the S&W Grand Cafe that is scheduled to open in September.