Comment on this story 716 Deery Street 3,200 sq. ft. 4-5 bdrm, 2 & 1/2 bath $210,000 Contact: Dave Santi Remax: 694-8100

Healing symptoms by affecting the cause

by Matt Edens

East Tennessee is choking on its own air. It’s been in all the papers: ominous warnings of an EPA “crackdown,” a debate over vehicle emissions testing, and the assorted “counterpoint” pieces highlighting alternative transportation and alternative fuels. I read an article last week about the “Smart Trips” program that focused on two downtown workers who carpool each day on their 12-mile commute from their homes in West Knoxville.

I don’t get it. We spend way to much time worrying about the symptom—the car—and way too little worrying about the root cause of why we all drive so damn much—the way we live, work and build. And, in the meantime, we pray for the hydrogen god that’ll someday usher in the paradise of guilt-free motoring.

Why wait? For a number of Knoxvillians, like our two downtown carpoolers, the key to a low-impact lifestyle is ready and waiting, no technological breakthrough or expense sacrifices necessary. The smartest trip, after all, is one you don’t have to take. If you work downtown, move downtown and say goodbye to that 12-mile commute and the joys of sitting in I-40 traffic. Not only will you save money on gas, maintenance and parking, you’ll also get a half-hour or more of your day back (which is like adding five extra vacation days to your year). All you’ll need to get to work is the oldest, most reliable and fuel-efficient transportation system known to man: your feet.

But loft living isn’t for you, you say. You need room for the kids, a place for the dog to run, or you’ll just plain miss having a good old yard with trees and grass. Well, who says you have to go 12 miles out to find it? There are a half-dozen neighborhoods within a mile of downtown that offer all that and more.

This Italianate style Victorian on Deery in Fourth and Gill is a good example. It was built in 1884, more than two decades before the Model T. Back then, if you wanted to get downtown, you walked or rode the streetcar. And either option is still viable. The Old City is just a 10-minute walk away, and there are numerous bus lines running within a block or two (an advantage of living close to downtown is mass transit becomes much more convenient. One bus runs past my front door, and two more are within a five- or 10-minute walk).

And don’t think that, just because it’s good for you and the environment, this house lacks flavor. From the moment you walk through the gate in the wrought-iron fence, up the marble walk and climb the marble steps to the huge front porch—noticing, of course, all the mature trees and well-tended landscaping—it’s obvious that this place offers the sort of character you can’t find in the ’burbs at any price. Inside, the house has double parlors with oak floors and woodwork, fireplaces with original mantles and tile, and new gas logs. Other features include loads more hardwood—oak down, pine up—a beautifully refinished original staircase, a window seat in the dining room, an antique clawfoot tub in the master bath and a pressed-tin ceiling in the guest room upstairs, just off the second-floor balcony. There’s also a large laundry/utility room on the main level and tons of workshop space in the basement below.

Best of all, unlike hybrid cars and a lot of other earth-friendly alternatives, you don’t have to pay a premium price—just $65 a square foot.

June 3, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 23 © 2004 Metro Pulse