A few weeks ago I took pictures up and down Jackson Avenue with two goals in mind: Give an update of what was happening on the corridor and visit the roll out of Saw Works Brewing Company. I never quite got around to the first goal with everything else that’s been happening and the second goal came to an embarrassing end.
As for the business update, it’s really good I didn’t get to it, because more developments have come to light in the last couple of weeks. Most of these have been reported on Property Scope, Josh Flory’s excellent blog, but with a bit coming out here and another bit there, it seemed like a good time to put it all together in one overview.
For starters, just off Jackson on the Broadway viaduct over the train tracks sits a little row building. Josh had read my mind when he suggested that something cool could possibly be done with the strange little buildings perched beside the viaduct. I’d imagined shops, he imagined artist studios. In either case, the buildings sit atop another building that is slated for demolition as part of a TDOT bridge replacement project.
I reported on the Corner Beer Pub at Jackson and Broadway and within a week they were in the news with a new owner for the building – though the business didn’t change hands and retains its lease and plans to move forward. I’ve since heard from Bette Knight who tells me that they’ve finished a patio and added some serious Jenga and Corn Hole players to the clientele mix. Her husband noted that business has really been great recently. I dropped by on a Wednesday night and there were quite a few customers.
Some potential new customers might be found across the street at the Southeastern Glass Building. Just three days ago it was reported that Synergy Business Environments has purchased the anchor suite in the building. This fills the commercial space in the building and they will use their portion as a furniture showroom for local architects and designers. I’m told that all of the fifteen residential spaces are filled, with seven sold and eight leased but available for purchase.
Just down Jackson sits the McClung Warehouses, a key to re-development of Jackson Avenue. Knox Heritage lists them as number seven on their endangered list and gives a pretty good accounting of their potential and the struggles surrounding their redevelopment since the fire that destroyed a major portion of the buildings. Personally, and this is all hunch and absolutely no insider information, I believe the city will act to take the buildings in the very near future. They are just too important and too visible to allow this situation to continue.
At the intersection of Gay and Jackson, work continues on the Three Feathers Building and the Armature Building. The last I heard on these projects, the developers were hoping to have spaces ready by the fall or end of this year. This will be a large boost to residences downtown and will further cement this part of downtown as the largest concentration of residences.
On the opposite corner of the intersection, below street-level sits the old depot docks. I’d mentioned last January the intention of the owners to offer long-term storage in the spaces which I said at the time seemed like a real waste. I pictured bars or shops and restaurants in those buildings and in some of the spaces under the viaduct and pictured some in that post. Now the word is that this is what may be happening. I’m cautiously optimistic. Until it happens we’ll wait and see, but at least someone is thinking in the right sort of way. Maybe they read this blog. Josh reported that, “Eric Ohlgren and Carl Keaney, the owners of Heuristic Workshop, are planning to buy the property at 205 W. Jackson Avenue.” The potential owners stated they’d like to see, “local or regional manufacturing — possibly food-related — and also for retail. As an example, he mentioned the possibility of a bakery or brew pub, which would manufacture its product and retail it out the front, while wholesaling it out the back.”
I include a picture of Patrick Sullivan’s here because it sits empty and that intersection of Central and Jackson is crucial to the Old City. It’s a great building in need of a great owner. How can you resist those beautiful women in the upstairs windows?
Just next door at 111 E. Jackson is a completely re-worked and beautiful storefront which used to be an antiques market. I’d taken a picture of it on my walk a few weeks ago planning to mention that it sits vacant and needs tenants. So much was put into the building it seems like a shame for it to be unused. As it turns out, about four weeks ago, Josh Flory reported that 6,000 square feet of the building has now been leased to the Shelton Group Advertising Agency. There is more space available in this great building, but this is very good news, indeed.
Just east from that building, across from Barley’s, Ebi Sushi and Saki House opened in the first few months of the year, but I haven’t heard anyone talking about it. Have you eaten there? Is it good? I’ve intended to try it, but Urban Woman doesn’t like sushi, so I haven’t made the extra effort to do it myself.
Which leads to my second goal of the walk: To join the festivities as Marble City Brewing Company transformed itself into Saw Works Brewing Company and introduced a new pale ale. There were to be festivities and the event was a fund-raiser for Community Shares. Good all the way around, right. I figured I might as well swing on around to E. Depot and take a few photographs of the excitement.
It’s quite a walk, but as I drew close to my destination I noticed the parking lot was empty. I doubted everyone else had taken to walking. As I approached the door I noticed they were closed! My next thought was that I was ten minutes early and that the doors would spring open at the magical moment and a rip-roaring party would ensue. I noticed a flier on the door.
Further inspection revealed the party was being held at the Casual Pint, which I profiled recently. No one was coming and I was left to party alone. I walked away wondering why would Marble City or Saw Works, whichever they officially were at the moment would hold their party at a semi-competitor’s business? Casual Pint isn’t a brewery, but they will soon have a storefront in downtown competing with The Quary (or whatever the new name might be as everything else seems to be changing.
Stuck Inside of Knoxville readers need answers. And I plan to get them. Johnathan Bordsodi has offered a tour of the facility, which I will take next week and attempt to learn all their dirty secrets. If there’s anything I’ve learned my readers want the scoop on, it’s beer. I’ve threatened to put the word “beer” in every caption to ensure large numbers of readers. So, watch soon for “BEER.”