Vision at Knoxville ‘Really Hoping’ for a Fall Opening

The trapezoid-shaped, Brutalist architectural fever dream perched high above the river at 501 E. Hill Ave. is one of those places that seems to fascinate everyone. The lore surrounding it is nearly as distinctive as the architecture itself.

Just yesterday I was talking with a friend whose father worked in the top-floor restaurant when the hotel opened in 1972. He remembered looking down to see one of the hotel’s first guests—Mick Jagger—floating on his back in the pool below while the Rolling Stones were in town for a sold-out show at the Civic Coliseum. Elvis stayed there once too, allegedly.

The building last changed hands in 2020, when Melrose Knoxville, LLC (d/b/a Omni Vision Knoxville)—a Beverly Hills-based group backed by California billionaire Neil Kadisha, owner of Omninet Capital—purchased it for $16.8 million. By 2022 plans had emerged for a 375-unit apartment conversion. 

I stop by every now and then to press my nose to the glass and size up the latest progress. I’ve also made a few hopeful attempts to extract intel from the friendly security guard, who has remained impressively tight-lipped.

Finally this week, I was rewarded with a brief chat with property manager Mollie Yerger Duff. The opening timeline has been a moving target, she explained, after unexpected infrastructure issues surfaced during construction and delayed the project.

Now, though, she said they’re “really hoping” to open this fall. While no firm date has been set, the project appears, at least from a glance around the atrium, to be in the home stretch.

The lobby’s old-school formal décor—dark wood, red upholstery, the whole “executive luncheon” aesthetic—has given way to clean lines, lush greenery and a bright, modern feel. It was a delight to see the building’s signature glass elevators zipping up and down at both ends, including the one that emerges into open air with sweeping views of downtown.

The apartments will include studio, one-bedroom and loft floor plans. Planned amenities include a rooftop fitness center overlooking the Tennessee River, private cinema, resort-style pool and co-working spaces. Yerger Duff said when it’s all said and done “it’s going to be really cool and unlike anywhere else in Knoxville,” with additional neighborhood-serving businesses such as a bodega, nail salon and wellness center.

In the meantime, here are a few photos to whet your appetite for the official reveal. Learn more at the project’s website here.