David Denton’s Reflections of the City

David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014 #1

Probably the best thing about my job is that I get the chance to meet, talk with and get to know really smart and creative people. Yesterday I introduced you to Brian R. Jobe who certainly falls into that category. You’ve met others in this space along the way. One person you’ve met previously when he talked about his ideas for the McClung site (First Article, Second Article), was David Denton.

David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014 #2
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014 #3

 

A world class architect, David has incredible vision. Today you get to see the world, just a little bit, through his eyes. Whereas many of us walk down the street not really seeing it at all or looking for the important, but mundane – like traffic, David is looking for the worlds that many of us don’t see.

David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014 #4
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014 #5

He told me, “We look but rarely do we see. Reflections are a window into another world. It offers an entirely different perspective; a merging of two worlds.” He said he’d like to challenge the rest of us to take the time to walk down Gay Street only looking at reflections.

David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014 #6
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014 #7

 

I will say that I notice reflections in buildings and have for several years, but I’ve never see some of the kinds of reflections he captures here. I’ve broken the twenty selections he made into two groups because I didn’t want to eliminate any and I felt that too many in one shot would give each of them less attention.

David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014 #8
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014 #9

So, I’ve got ten today and ten for another day – maybe tomorrow. I’ve labeled them at the bottom of this article, rather than in the captions, to give you a chance to guess their identity. If you can’t that may mean you’ve never really looked at the entire picture when you pass by because most of these are fairly common places. How many could you figure out? Does it make you see that building or spot in the city differently?

David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014
David Denton, Reflections of Downtown Knoxville, 2014 #10

Key:

#1 Latitude 25 Window Reflecting Market Square

#2 Looking into Local Motors Reflecting Market Square

#3 Bonus if You Get This One: I Can’t Remember or Place It

#4 CitiFid-O

#5 Pioneer House

#6 Locust Street Garage Reflecting Kendrick Place (and a little of the Masonic Temple)

#7 First Tennessee Plaza on Gay Street

#8 The Burwell Building Reflected in the Side of the First Tennessee Tower (taken from the roof of the Burwell)

#9 The East Tennessee History Center taken from inside the Burwell Bldg (I think this one may be backwards?)

#10 The East Entrance to the Court House Reflecting the Andrew Johnson Building

 

Discover more from Inside of Knoxville

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading