Each year, Knox Heritage announces their Fragile and Fading list to increase focus on some of our most endangered properties and to promote the support needed to preserve them for the next generation. While not all properties are downtown, many are downtown or nearby. I’ve written about each of them, some of them multiple times. Preservation isn’t static: A building might seem secured at one point, but circumstances change; plans fall through, the ground beneath them becomes more valuable and attracts developers who wish to demolish the old structure to construct new, more profitable buildings.
To announce the new list, Knox Heritage called a press conference outside Pour in the Old City. Not coincidentally, the backdrop was the JFG building, whose roof features the sign which was a focus of a recent article here. The properties listed range from that sign to entire neighborhoods, with most concern focused on particular buildings.
Brief remarks from Board President Adrienne Webster, Executive Director Christine Cloninger, and Director of Development and Communications Lacey Mellott began the event. Cloninger said,
We believe that community involvement is crucial for preservation. This list, along with one-on-one outreach to property owners, is a tool to strengthen community advocacy, encouraging stakeholders, residents, businesses and local leaders to collaborate and develop preservation strategies before these endangered historic sites are lost forever. We are ready to work with property owners and community members to take proactive steps to initiate action to protect Knoxville’s irreplaceable history. Preservation truly is for everyone, and Knox Heritage welcomes all support.
The 2024 Fragile & Fading list spotlights three different categories of endangered buildings, reflecting their current status: Fading Fast, Still Fragile and Moving Forward. The most endangered, of course, are the Fading Fast properties. The first four are downtown or very near downtown.
Fading Fast
- JFG Signs – 200 W. Jackson Ave., and former Gay Street Bridge location. JFG Coffee Company was founded in Morristown, Tennessee in 1882, and moved its roasting operations to Knoxville in 1924. Two of the company’s iconic neon signs are in peril and in need of major preservation efforts.
I’ve written about these signs in recent months. Last fall the JFG sign on the south side of the river went missing and it is reported to be in storage at this time. The JFG sign in the background of this press conference is falling apart on top of the previous JFG factory building. I wrote about it more recently. These icons of downtown Knoxville are in extreme danger of being lost forever.
- Lord Lindsey – 615 W. Hill Ave. – Originally built as a private residence in 1901, the structure also has been a church, restaurant and event center. Empty and underutilized, Knox Heritage seeks to lead efforts to preserve the landmark structure. Cloninger said there are conversations underway to either have the current owner find a use for the property or find a new owner. This is a beloved icon for many.
- Standard Knitting Mill – 1400 Washington Ave. This circa 1945 building is the only remaining structure associated with Standard Knitting Mill. The current building footprint still has more than 400,000 square feet, and Knox Heritage wants to see the site preserved and redeveloped.
I’ve also written about this group of buildings numerous times. A group from Atlanta now owns it and called a press conference in 2019 announcing grand development plans. Whether initially because of the pandemic or for other reasons, the owners have done nothing in the subsequent almost five years. During the interim, a January 2022 fire destroyed much of what might have been saved. The buildings continue to be demolished by neglect. Cloninger said at the press conference, “Attempts to contact the owners have fallen flat.”
- Knoxville College – 901 Knoxville College Drive
Founded in 1875, the campus was the first Black college in East Tennessee and hosted prominent figures such as Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The buildings, vacant and in disrepair, deserve to be restored and used again.
This is one of the saddest stories of all these sad stories. Attempts have been made to save the college and the buildings dating back at least most of the 40 plus years I’ve lived in Knoxville. I walked around the campus documenting what was there in 2017. I suspect the property is in more desperate condition now than it was then. It’s frustrating with the amount of beauty and history on that hillside. Cloninger said “conversations are ongoing.”
- The Paul Howard House – 2921 N. Broadway – The elegant 1910 Craftsman style house on Broadway is a community landmark, and its long-term viability isn’t clear. Knox Heritage is seeking solutions for preservation.
The second category includes endangered properties that have been discussed before, but continue to be in need of help:
Still Fragile
- West View Cemetery District – Keith Avenue
Located in the West View Neighborhood, the district is a group of three abandoned Black cemeteries established in 1898, 1915 and 1922. While volunteers with the West View Community Action Group have worked to maintain the site, help is needed to secure in perpetuity the historical and cultural significance of the cemeteries.
- Historic Neighborhoods – Parkridge, Fort Sanders and Mechanicsville –
Parkridge, located off Magnolia Avenue, was originally developed as a streetcar suburb in the 1890s. The neighborhood contains one of the largest concentrations of houses designed by George Franklin Barber, a mail-order architect known for his ornate Victorian house plans.
Fort Sanders, named for the Civil War-era Union bastion that once stood near the center of the neighborhood, was the site of a key engagement in 1863. Its residents have included some of Knoxville’s leading industrialists and politicians, as well as professors from the University of Tennessee and author James Agee.
Mechanicsville was established in the late 1860s for skilled laborers working in the factories that sprang up along Knoxville’s periphery and still contains a significant number of late-19th century Victorian homes, and a notable concentration of early-20th century shotgun houses.
The final category contains a list of properties and sites that current have a plan for restoration or preservation:
Moving Forward
- Howell House at Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum – 2743 Wimpole Ave.
The Howell House is a key part of the Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum’s efforts to preserve its heritage while serving the community. As a crucial venue for events, staff offices and public restrooms, the Howell House is in need of significant restoration to address aging issues, water intrusion and deferred maintenance.
Heather recently wrote a profile of the gardens, their new director, and plans for the Howell House.
- Giffin School – 1834 Beech St.
Located in the South Haven neighborhood, Giffin School was named for Andy Giffin, who donated the land for the original building, which was designed by Barber & McMurry and completed in 1920. Damaged by recent neglect that has now been undone, a new development called Historic Giffin Square will provide residential units to help address the area’s growing need for affordable housing.
Feel a desired to help? Knox Heritage offers multiple ways to get involved, including donations, membership, volunteering, sponsorship and planned giving. Information about joining preservation efforts is available at knoxheritage.org/support.