Of course, for the history of the the building, no one will cover that better than Jack Neely and he does so here. In a nutshell, he notes that David Dewhirst began the renovation of the building about a year ago after a false start by another developer. In its final form, which is scheduled to be attained by late summer, there should be around 40 residential units on the top and space for businesses on the bottom floor. The building will be on the national historical registry due to its use as one of the original TVA buildings. The residential units will be rental units in the beginning and will, likely, become condos later in their life. Information on renting a unit or leasing a space for a business can be found here. According to John Flory on the Property Scope blog (and the poster in the window of the building) John Black Photography has signed a lease for the largest space on the bottom floor. WBIR reported in February that Hossein Grodhat, who has operated the Market Square Kitchen since 2004, planned to open a grocery store in the building, but even their article revealed the tenuous nature of those plans.
Meanwhile, the construction continues, and with it, the hopes of the people who live nearby that what has been a dilapidated eyesore and has turned into an annoying construction zone may soon become a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Here’s hoping.