The Tennessee Theatre holds a spot in Knoxville’s heart like few other landmarks. As it approaches its 100th birthday (it will turn 96 this year), it enters an expansion project that will serve to make the Theatre much more functional with the addition of multiple spaces for offices, performances, rehearsals, and celebrations. The Mechanics Bank and Trust Building at 612 South Gay Street, also a historic building, will connect to the Theatre through the back (the buildings are not adjacent along Gay Street, but share an alley to the rear) allowing for a better experience for everyone.
The most recent project of a similar scale came in 2005 with comprehensive renovations totaling about $30,000,000. The renovations returned the Tennessee to its original glory, something not seen by living generations. The renovations included a cantilevered loading area to the rear, new dressing rooms and more, but the limits of surrounding buildings, streets, and a cemetery to the rear limited expansion possibilities.
Rehearsal space could not be added, for example, nor could dedicated reception space. The limitations resulted in reduced utilization of the theatre in that a rehearsal could not be conducted while another event occurred. Additionally, a rehearsal currently occupies the stage while generating no revenue on rehearsal night and some parts of rehearsal do not require a full stage. Other productions, such as the Broadway series want other spaces for smaller, related events such as Master Classes. The same was true of the many receptions which could only be held when another event wasn’t scheduled because the only reception spaces were the lobby and upper hallway.
If you’ve been to a sold-out show at the Tennessee Theatre, you know of additional limitations: The lines at both the bars and the bathrooms are sometimes difficult. Options for additional facilities simply didn’t exist. The same is true behind the scenes for office space. The growing staff (currently about twenty-three) is scattered about the building and crowded.
In 2017, the Mechanics Bank and Trust Building at 612 South Gay Street came on the market for $2.5 million (see that article for more photos and a much more detailed history of the building). The portion offered for sale included the first four floors, including 16,300 square feet of the 1907 building. In January 2019, the Tennessee Theatre announced the purchase of the available portion of the building. The general ideas of needed space were understood, but specific plans had yet to be developed. The assumption was the project would rapidly move forward. World events had other plans.
The connecting point between the two buildings isn’t obvious, but as you pass through the lobby on the ground floor of the Tennessee Theatre and turn right on the lower floor, the wall to your right backs onto an alley. Directly across from that is an entry at the top of a set of alley stairs, to the building in question. The stairwell which was built in the 1980s will be removed and a new stair tower will be constructed adjacent to the corridor. The two will be joined at the spot in a corridor traversing the alley way one floor up. The distance between the two is 10.5 feet.
To develop the plans, the Theatre hired the architecture firm of McCarty Holsaple McCarty, selected Jenkins and Stiles as general contractor and proceeded with design work throughout 2019. By March of 2020 construction plans were complete and submitted to the city. The universe decided they put those plans on pause. The next two years, particularly for Theatres, contained numerous unknowns and variables beyond anyone’s control. The project halted.
In the fall of 2022, the “Theatre had come out of the pandemic stronger than ever,” according to Becky Hancock, Director. “The SVOG grant made us whole, back to where we were in February 2020. We had a chance to look at the drawings again and make a few changes. Now we are back at the same point.” She said they expect to begin construction within forty-five to sixty days.” The ground floor, which was the Old City Club operated by Kristopher Kendrick in the 1980s, originally formed the bank lobby. As such, it has lofty ceilings and a mezzanine in the back. “This space will be the separate gathering space, reception space for pre and post-show activities.” While it might be used privately, “it is not going to be another events venue . . . We want it to enhance what is happening at the theatre.”
That space will include a bar to the rear, as well as restrooms and storage. The beautiful vault will remain and will serve as the entrance to the restrooms behind it. A small room which currently exists in the front will remain and be utilized for catering prep for events. All the decorative plaster work will be preserved, as will the marble on the wall and the vault. The floor is not salvageable, and the 1980s fixtures will be updated. The space should accommodate about 150 people for a stand-up event. “I also envision this space as a small performance area. Think about what Big Ears could do here. Think about if we could convince an artist to do an unplugged set.” Discreet sound and lighting for those possibilities will be added.
A private donor lounge will be constructed on the mezzanine level of the ground floor offering room for about forty people during shows. It will be used for upper-level donors for the Theatre, as well as likely for the Opera and Symphony. Included will be restrooms and a small bar. The space can also be divided for use by two groups at once and when completed will simply feel like an addition to the theatre, whereas the space below will have its own entrance and will feel more like a separate entity. That said, Hancock said, “It will be elegant, but will have its own identity.”
The other floors were last occupied by Revenue Recovery Corporation. For those who have followed downtown development for more than a decade, you will remember when they left downtown, citing a lack of parking for their employees. It seemed like a potentially serious setback for downtown and it did lead to a dozen years of empty floors in the building. As a result of the passage of time, the floors must be brought to current code, including the addition of the rear staircase.
The third-floor lines up perfectly with the balcony foyer level of the theatre and will offer the opportunity to add a public bar and public restrooms, so that balcony patrons no longer must walk downstairs. Just as the mezzanine below it, a small corridor will connect the two. There will be lounge space on the floor with views overlooking Gay Street. The space can also be closed off from the theatre, providing flexibility for small events to occur simultaneously with other functions in the Theatre. The decor will be more in line with the rest of the theatre, but with its own unique spin.
The fourth floor is above the theatre and will serve a range of functions including “education, outreach, rehearsal, black box type space. The back floor will have flooring similar to the stage floor with sprung wood where dancers can dance without hurting themselves.” The width, though not the depth, is the same as the width of the stage. Lighting and sound will be included in the functional space providing the possibility of small performances. The floor can also be divided to allow for more than one event, class, outreach, or other uses. “We would love to do a six-week summer program for kids. We can’t afford to shut the theatre down for six weeks, but we could do it here.” The floor will also include restrooms and a small kitchen area.
The fifth floor will serve as administrative offices, with co-working spaces, a boardroom, a small kitchen. It will house most of the staff, though those who need to work in the theatre will do so. It is large enough to allow for projected staff growth, such as additional development and educational staff. “That’s really where the growth opportunity is for the theatre: How we connect to the community better. How we serve the community better though the art we present on stage, but also in the supplemental activities that happen in this building.
To acquire the building, cover design and construction fees, and to pay construction costs, the Theatre needs an estimated $19,000,000. Of that, about $14,000,000 has already been raised. In addition to McCarty Holsaple and McCarty and Jenkin and Stiles, the theatre has also enlisted the services of Partners Development as project manager and owners representative. FirstBank is providing a line of credit until the full amount is raised and collected and Becky also pointed out that the sixth-floor owners have been wonderful to work with as they will be greatly inconvenienced by the work to bring the building up to code. Expect construction to start in April and last from twelve to fifteen months, during which (with perhaps minor exceptions) the Theatre should continue to operate as normal.
“I think it will be as transformational to the theatre as the 2005 renovation. It’s harder to explain to people, but you have to see it to understand the enormity of the impact on the theatre. It’s also going to save and activate another historic building. I’m excited to be involved in another major project . . . We are preparing the Theatre for its second century.”