A Downtown Reborn
Through Preservation
Nurturing A Renaissance
in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville
 Located along the banks of the Tennessee River
 Founded in 1791 and first capitol of Tennessee
 Home to the University of Tennessee, Scripps Networks
and the Tennessee Valley Authority
 Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
 Regional hub for commerce, recreation and the arts in
East Tennessee
 A downtown that faced the same daunting challenges
faced by so many others
The Good Old Days
Downtown: The Place to Be
 Between 1885 and 1950 downtown flourished as the hub of
retail, banking and social life for East Tennessee.
 It was surrounded by prosperous neighborhoods and attracted
residents from across the region.
 It supported a thriving Market House, numerous theatres, an
opera house, department stores, offices, restaurants, private
residences, two train stations and a trolley car system.
 No one saw what was coming – a national shift away from
downtowns and toward suburbia that would leave Knoxville’s
downtown struggling for more than three decades.
Downtown Bellwether: Market Square
Market Square 1960
The End of An Era
 By 1960, development was exploding in the western suburbs
and the Market House was being demolished.
 Downtown retailers tried to reinvent downtown in order to
compete with - and mimic - suburban strip malls.
 West Town Mall opened in 1970 and downtown soon lost the
last of its major department stores.
 Interstate 40 and Urban Renewal blasted through downtown,
destroying historic buildings, disconnecting downtown from the
surrounding neighborhoods and accelerating the decline.
 Disinvestment took hold in the urban core and most people
turned their backs on downtown.
What Do We Do Now?
 Downtown bottomed out in the 1980s, in spite of the “silver
bullet” - 1982 World’s Fair.
 Demolition of historic buildings was rampant – both through
neglect and the wrecking ball.
 The perception of a lack of parking downtown drove much of
the demolition, even though fewer customers were visiting.
 By 1990, downtown was a ghost town where the sidewalks
were rolled up at 5 p.m. when the office workers headed home.
 City leaders and preservationists faced a seemingly
insurmountable challenge if they wanted to save downtown.
How We Turned It Around
 City leaders made it a priority.
 Preservationists provided solutions and inspired public support.
 Nine Counties One Vision proved it was a priority for the region.
 Strategic projects were undertaken by local government and
private developers.
 Incentives were put in place to spur development.
 Residential development was made a priority.
 Historic districts and design guidelines were put in place.
 We began to believe in ourselves again.
Putting The Pieces Together
 Central Business Improvement District
 City of Knoxville Development Incentives
 The Miller’s Building
 The Sterchi Building
 The Restoration of Market Square
 The 100 and 500 Blocks of Gay Street
 The Bijou and Tennessee Theatres
 Year-Round Event Programming
 Preservation-Based Development
CBID: The Downtown Organization
 Focused on the Commercial Core of Downtown
 Façade Grants Critical to Spurring Investment
 Grant Funding for Year-Round Events Downtown
 Work Closely with the City on Infrastructure Improvements
 Key to Marketing Downtown to New Investors and Retailers
 Now Targeting Grants to Lure Catalytic Development as well as
Regional and National Retailers
Incentives for Development
 City Life Program
 Façade Grants
 Tax Increment Financing
 PILOT Program
 Infrastructure Improvements
 Special Events
 Political Will
The Miller’s Building
The Miller’s Building
The 100 Block of Gay Street
The 100 Block of Gay Street
Market Square
Market Square Restoration
The Historic Tennessee Theatre
The Bijou Theatre
The 500 Block of Gay Street
The Challenge
The 500 Block Task Force was charged with the following:
 evaluate the condition of the historic buildings;
 create and evaluate alternative designs that preserve as
much of the buildings as possible and meet the needs of
the theater operator;
 work to preserve the viability of the Gay Street National
Register District and the financial incentives it can bring to
future projects;
 work with the City of Knoxville to determine the costs of
any alternative proposals; and
 develop funding strategies that meet the needs of the city
and its partners.
PROPOSED CINEMA DEVELOPMENT
The 500 Block of Gay Street
Market Square Now
Downtown Today
Gay Street named
“Top 10 Great Street”
in America by the
American Planning
Association
And Preservation Was The Key
“We have never seen a downtown
renaissance occur so quickly and with such
a clear connection to the rehabilitation of
historic buildings.”
John Leith-Tetrault
President
National Trust Community
Investment Corporation
Kim Trent
[email protected]
www.knoxheritage.org