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Bobos in Paradise
Fourth and Gill’s 2004 Tour of Homes
by Matt Edens
Fourth and Gill has arrived. Week before last I wrote a brief piece in these pages about a nice little commercial property for sale at the corner of Fourth and Luttrell. Less than five days later it sold. To an artist. From Vermont.
Since when did artists from Vermont move to Knoxville?
Now as much as I’d like to take the credit, I can’t. I just made the connection. Fourth and Gill did the rest. At a time when most Knoxvillians still imagine the inner-city as a place people are desperate to get out of, Fourth and Gill has been quietly selling houses not on the basis of history or affordability, but on the quality of its lifestyle. Which is a decidedly alternative one.
Downtown may get most of the press. And Bearden may have the numbers. But Fourth and Gill is certainly in the running for Knoxville’s “Bobo” neighborhood of choice. My own broad circle of acquaintance within the neighborhood runs the full gamut from bourgeois bankers, attorneys and accountants to the two bastions of Knoxville’s gainfully employed bohemians—UT profs and film/TV producers. If it weren’t for a leavening of student and twenty-something renters, in some ways Luttrell Street wouldn’t be too different from say, Westwood or Forest Heights, or the lower-priced parts of Sequoyah.
Now I know Fourth and Gill’s trend toward trendiness strikes some of you as a terrible thing. But personally I think it’s good for the city. Surprisingly, my argument hinges on diversity and affordability. First, middle and upper income homeowners are decidedly a minority in the inner city (even in Fourth and Gill renters still outnumber homeowners by a considerable margin). Second, while home prices in Fourth and Gill have to the $70- to $90-a-square-foot range for restored/renovated property, loft prices downtown have recently climbed to over $100-per-square foot (giving Sequoyah Hills a run for its money, price-wise). Rental rates follow a similar ratio.
So, as downtown continues to redevelop (sue me, I’m an optimist), Fourth and Gill provides and attractive and more affordable alternative that offers similar amenities—character, community and convenience. Several of my Fourth and Gill friends regularly walk to downtown for everything from Sundown in the City to Sunday Brunch at the Tomato Head. Organic groceries are just a block away at the Food Co-op on Broadway. And two separate bus lines serve the neighborhood as well.
Then there are the amenities that downtown doesn’t offer—a yard where you can exercise your green thumb, your dog or both as well as a place for the kids to play. Anyone who thinks urban living is anathema to child rearing hasn’t been through Fourth and Gill lately; the neighborhood’s, uh, toddling with toddlers.
So, if you’ve considered taking the plunge into urban living but aren’t quite ready to give up that house and yard, come check out the alternative to both at Fourth and Gill’s 2004 Tour of Homes, Sunday, April 18. Part of the Dogwood Arts Festival, the tour features homes ranging from 1890s Victorians to Craftsmen and Colonials from the ’20s and ’30s. And, while you tour the architecture pay attention to the lifestyle: photography, painting, jewelry and pottery from local artists will be on sale and display. Sample refreshments from Old City bakery Mag-Pies. Or sample the tunes from a local jazz band. In other words, get a sense for what this ‘hood not only close to downtown but decidedly uptown has to offer.
April 8, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 15
© 2004 Metro Pulse
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