Culture
Patti Smith and Others Announced for Big Ears
If you feel a bit of déjà vu with this announcement, you can be forgiven. You aren’t imagining things. Almost two years ago a similar announcement was made that Patti Smith and her band would perform...
Curtis Glover Paints the Town
We’ve all enjoyed his work for years in and around downtown, as well as out west. Curtis Glover has painted murals for Jerry’s ArtaRama in Bearden and numerous murals around downtown including one I mentioned...
Kevin Bradley Presents Voodoo Rocket In the Old City
The first time I saw Kevin Bradley, sometime around 2009, he was walking around downtown wearing a coonskin cap. I’d just moved downtown and had yet to begin documenting its stories. Clearly, there was a story....
Downtown Venues Set COVID Protocols as Seasons Open
As fall has started, downtown venues are ramping up performances, ranging from classical, jazz and pop performances, to theatrical productions and more. With the new wave of entertainment comes important decisions regarding safety protocols in the...
Business
Koyo Opens at 416 Clinch Avenue
Koyo has opened at 416 Clinch Avenue (former location of Kaizen), beside the French Market Crêperie. A project of the same people who bring you Nama, Wicked Chicken, and Harvest, the Facebook page promises an “Elevated...
Olde Virden’s Artisanal Food Market Opens Near Downtown
Allyson and Chris Virden have been local fixtures for a number of years. You may know them as co-owners and operators of Mid Mod Collective or you may know them for their Olde Virden’s Tennessee Pepper...
Aaron Thompson and Jessica King to Introduce Lilou in the Hope Building
Aaron Thompson and Jessica King, current owners of Brother Wolf and Osteria Stella in the Old City, and owners of the now paused Sapphire, will bring an entirely new concept to the space formerly occupied...
Two Downtown Businesses Announce Closures
The list of businesses closing in the last two years has been remarkably short. Given the normal ebb-and-flow of business openings and closures being overlaid with a pandemic, it is truly remarkable. During the same run,...
Development
Hope Building Sold, Redevelopment Plans Revealed
The Hope Building, an attractive five-story building constructed in 1897, at 428 South Gay Street is under new ownership and will be redeveloped as a boutique hotel. The building, owned for years by Dewhirst Properties, was...
Former TVA Credit Union Building to Become Hotel, Restaurants
The former TVA Credit Union Building, located at the corner of Gay Street and Wall Avenue is finally getting the make-over that it deserved. A great example of a good use for its era, the building...
Marriott Transforming Former Holiday Inn on Henley
Constructed as a Holiday Inn in anticipation of the 1982 World’s Fair, the hotel, along with the adjacent Tennessean came under new ownership in February 2019 and the former Holiday Inn is being changed into a...
All-Electric Buses Added to City Fleet
As promised earlier this year, electric buses have begun to join the fleet of buses deployed by Knoxville Area Transit. The buses were officially introduced to a small crowd on Thursday at Caswell Park. The two...
Events
Downtown Knoxville Ten Day Planner (10/24-11/2/2021
As events are opening up, we’re listing a combination of virtual and live events. The rules are the same – if you want your event included, please make a Facebook event, invite me (Alan Sims –...
Downtown Should Feel a Whole Lot More Like Christmas This Year
I’ve always felt we should let each holiday have its moment. I never cared much for Halloween, but it deserved its night of sugar and devilment coming up in a few days. We’re still about five...
Downtown Knoxville Ten Day Planner (10/17-10/26/2021)
As events are opening up, we’re listing a combination of virtual and live events. The rules are the same – if you want your event included, please make a Facebook event, invite me (Alan Sims –...
Downtown Knoxville Ten Day Planner (10/10 – 10/19/2021)
As events are opening up, we’re listing a combination of virtual and live events. The rules are the same – if you want your event included, please make a Facebook event, invite me (Alan Sims –...
Life
A Glimpse of Reality Under the Bridge
With the closure of the Broadway viaduct, the area under the I-40 overpass across Broadway has become a near dead-end, a no-man’s land. The enclosure funded by the city, intended to be a safe space, is...
COVID-19: 10/22/2021 Update
Welcome to the Friday report. This one comes to you on a week in which Inside of Knoxville won an award from the East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists. Thanks to a nomination from Rusty Odom...
Care Cuts: Expanding the Care Beyond the Cuts
A number of readers have asked what is being done to help the homeless. The answer is: a lot. Today we look at one of the groups trying to help, Care Cuts. I first met Marti...
COVID-19: 10/15/2021 Update
This week’s report comes to you with continually improving numbers in almost every category from International down to local. It’s a moment for hope, but we also have been here before. The questions presenting themselves now...