The annual Fourth and Gill Tour of Homes and Gardens is just around the corner (April 28, 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm, tickets here) and, as always it promises to offer a glimpse into life in the lovely neighborhood. Past guests know that a wide range of historic homes, from small to large, from Victorian to Craftsman, from recent reclamation projects to homes carefully preserved through the years, there will be plenty to enjoy. And then there are the lovely gardens, a relatively recent addition to the tour.
The tour this year offers a couple of twists along the way. Known as a historic neighborhood, the area hasn’t seen many new homes built in recent years. One home and a small-scale new development put that narrative in its head this year as two featured homes were only recently completed. At 717 Morgan Street, a new single-family home owned by Ashley and Brandon Pace offers many unique features, while a new set of row homes designed by Ally Architecture, Governor’s Row at 801 N. Fourth Avenue displays the kind of infill recently discussed in our city and others.
801 N. Fourth Avenue, Unit 2
We’ll start with Governor’s Row and historic information on the site of the new construction, thanks to the research of Arin Streeter. The original home on the site, the Caswell-Taylor House, built in 1887 by Col. William B. Caswell, would later become home to Robert Love Taylor, 24th Governor of Tennessee and U.S. Senator. He’s buried in Old Grey Cemetery. The house became abandoned by the 1970s and was burned by an arsonist in 1985 and it was demolished. A subsequent widening of the Interstate took a portion of a lot. Remaining is the sliver of property now housing governor’s row and rising to them at the corner are seven of the twelve steps from the original home.
Completed in 2023, Curbed Construction in conjunction with Connolly Development built the eight-unit structure for Governor’s Row. The group has another set of row homes currently under construction on the same street, adjacent to this site, as well as other projects in the city. It’s the very kind of missing-middle structure that has generated so much conversation recently, as it allows for greater density in an existing neighborhood. The homes are made from brick and feature front porches, making them blend with the architectural vernacular of the neighborhood.
The unit on the tour, number 2 in the row, is an 1150 square foot, three level, 1.5 bath home owned by Ryan and Payton Taylor. Used as a rental, its current resident works in a nearby hospital as a traveling nurse. The home also has a third-floor room which could be used a number of ways, as a spare bedroom, office, or lounging room.
The first floor has a kitchen, living room, and half-bath, carefully arranged to maximize precious space. The staircase joining that floor to the one above includes an accent wall featuring a Knoxville mural. That leads to the second floor which serves as the primary bedroom with a full bathroom and a large walk-in closet with custom cabinetry and shelving. It also offers a large, functioning window.
While the third floor could be used in a range of ways, a full-size daybed is currently included in the space offering a spot for guests. Just off that floor on the front of the house is a cozy terrace with an egg chair, grass wall, bistro lights and a “Fourth and Gill” mural. Both murals were painted by local artist Cody Swaggerty. Full set of pictures below:
717 Morgan Street
Ashley and Brandon Pace, both architects, had lived in the Fourth and Gill neighborhood for sixteen years in a small home on Luttrell Street where they’d raised their children. As they outgrew their home, they could not bear to leave their neighborhood, so they took those architectural skills and put them to work on a vacant double lot on the edge of the neighborhood and a bordering industrial area. They designed their new 2,800 square foot home to serve as a transition between the two.
With clean lines and a flat roof, the building appears more industrial on the exterior, while the interior reveals a warm and inviting oasis. Features include Douglas fir ceilings in the living room, white oak flooring in the kitchen, and custom cabinetry by local artisan John McGilvray. Ashley said they designed the home on one level so that it could be their forever home, though there are ladder accessible loft spaces the kids love, and that also provide access to the roof.
Also included is an interior courtyard with ample outdoor decks, including one which is covered and leads to the accessory dwelling unit which, for now, serves as a private guest space. The large second-lot has been converted to a small soccer field for the younger ones and an additional deck opens from the primary bedroom.
Just behind that, another feature of note: Cisterns. The two cisterns, installed by Perfect Water, collect rainwater from the roof which is then purified for all uses in the house, providing all water used there. Work continues on the home and solar panels are planned for the roof.
The home is filled with rich colors — dark blues, greens — and lots of natural light from every direction. It’s also filled with an eclectic collection of art. Ashley said they thought carefully of their favorite spaces in the house they had loved so long and tried to replicate those spaces in the new home to build new family memories. See the complete photos below.
The tour will include these homes and much more and it’s always a lovely day out. It all happens April 28, 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm, tickets available here. Don’t miss it. I’ll see you there.
