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The sights and sounds of heavy construction pervaded the downtown area in 2002 for the first time in a generation. Well, pervasive may be a bit of a stretch. But not since the heyday of the Butchers and World's Fair preparations in the late 1970's has so much been going on.
The core revitalizes
Except for the completion of the city's new convention center, most of the downtown work involved the restoration of older buildings that have stood like tombstones of a bygone era. Along what had been a moribund stretch of Gay Street, the Sterchi Building, the Emporium, and the Phoenix (formerly Fowler's) building are all being revivified.
Completion of the 99 apartment units in the Sterchi Building is expected by year-end, and most of them are now leased, according to developer Leigh Birch. Restoration of the Emporium, with 46 apartments, and the Phoenix building, with 10 apartments and three floors of office space, are well on their way toward targeted completion dates next spring. With Market Square scheduled to reopen as well, downtown may be busting out all over along with the daffodils and dogwoods. Speaking of which...
Market Square
Market Square became a construction zone, where removal of its shed and shabby concrete surface will make way for a new stage and new brushed and stained concrete grounding for the Square's public space. New facades for the historic buildings that adjoin the Square are also in the works—all in the name of revitalization of what was once the city's commercial hub. Already on the Square, several new restaurants and retailers have opened, or are planning to open, in anticipation of better times to come. But many buildings still need to be renovated and a lot of square footage has yet to be leased.
New construction is also part of the picture. A $20 million, marble-clad addition to the East Tennessee Historical Center is going up just across Gay Street from the Tennessee Theatre. With funding primarily from Knox County, it will provide more space for the county's archives, the library system's McClung Collection, and the Museum of East Tennessee History. Overlooking the city's waterfront, a 20-unit condominium complex called Promontory Point is nearing completion.
Momentum from all these projects figures to be carried forward by several others that are on the docket for next year. Work is due to start in June on a $20 million renovation of the Tennessee Theater that will replace its seating and enlarge its cramped stage area by a cantilevered extension over State Street. Design work is also underway on a facility that will bring a cineplex to the adjacent block of Gay Street as part of a complex that will also include a garage and public transit transfer hub. The cinaplex's pulling power is integral to Market Square developer Kinsey Probasco's plans for generating more commercial activity on the Square. The city is backing the project as well as the construction of another garage just to the west of Market Square—all in the name of the Square's revitalization.
Playing post office
Then there's developer Sam Furrow's planned $5.5 million renovation of the downtown post office that once doubled as a federal courthouse. If all the pieces fall into place, the state Supreme Court will relocate to the post office, freeing up its present site on Henley Street for construction of a new convention headquarters hotel that Mayor Ashe is also backing.
Along with prospective residential growth, the year also brought commitments from two companies to relocate their corporate headquarters to downtown Knoxville. Image Point (formerly Plasti-Line) will bring 300 workers downtown when it makes the move from Powell to the Miller's building. And Brunswick Boat Group's new headquarters in the Plaza Tower will add about 100 jobs.
Almost none of the above would be happening without direct or indirect forms of financial assistance from the city. These range from a $6 million outlay to fund Market Square's facelift, to $2.8 million to cover corporate relocation costs, to tax abatements for residential projects.
Waiting for the guests
When the Urban Land Institute assayed downtown's redevelopment needs in 1998, it concluded that "Knoxville needs more residents, office workers and visitors walking around the downtown."
More residents and office workers are coming, but it remains to be seen whether more visitors will follow. The city's palatial new convention center is supposed to be a drawing card. But once the 60,000 bowlers due to hit town as a part of the American Bowling Congress next year leave, convention bookings are few and far between. To spur them, the city tapped Gloria Ray, renowned for her recruitment of sporting events including the bowlers, to head a new Tourism and Sports Development Corp.
The empty Universe
Meanwhile, the biggest non-event of the year was the demise of Universe Knoxville. The proposed $106 million planetarium and museum complex had been heralded as a "destination attraction" that would draw 900,000 visitors a year. But its developers, Worsham Watkins, never seemed to get their act together. One of the first things County Executive Mike Ragsdale did on taking office in September was to pull the plug on a $36 million county commitment to the project that had been contingent on Worsham Watkins raising the balance of money from private investors.
The demise of UK was disappointing to many people, some of whom still dreamed of a downtown destination attraction, and others of whom had hoped to see the children's museum and discovery center that had been planned with it. But others in Knoxville had serious concerns about Worsham Watkins' ability to manage such a project (especially in light of the failure of Worsham Watkins' proposed Renaissance Knoxville project).
December 18, 2002 * Vol. 12, No. 51
© 2002 Metro Pulse
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Downtown