1614 Jefferson Avenue 1342 sq. ft. 2 bdrm/2 bath $59,000 Contact: Jennifer Montgomery Coldwell Banker: 693-1111

Center city living on the outskirts of downtown

by Matt Edens

Webster defines “gentrification” as “the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces earlier, usually poorer, residents.” I looked it up the other day after someone started grousing to me about the rents charged by most of the new loft buildings downtown. Not that he actually mentioned gentrification. No, to him, the rents—many of which are comparable to such brand-new West Knoxville complexes as The Grove and Walker’s Crossing—were far more sinister than that. In his mind they amounted to an “economic cleansing” of downtown.

Personally I had no idea Slobodan Milosevic had given up the dictator business for loft development. Nor did I exactly understand how converting otherwise empty buildings into lofts qualifies as gentrification, since nobody’s being sent packing. Of course, in the mind of the guy with the grievance, it wasn’t so much a question of who was or wasn’t being kicked out as who was moving in. Something of a socialist, he argued that building high-priced housing downtown somehow constitutes some sort of an affront to the proletariat (ironic, since he lives in West Knoxville).

On the other hand, I can see how some people might consider a downtown loft a little out of their price range. But that calls not for revolution but for a cold dash of reality. I mean, as much as I might like to live on Manhattan’s upper west side in a penthouse with a lovely view across the park, it’s not like I expect Bloomberg to pony up and pay for it.

Besides, it’s not as if there aren’t plenty of more affordable alternatives to a penthouse in the Emporium. Not only are apartments still available downtown for less than $400 a month (at least that’s what an ad for the River House said in last week’s issue), some of Knoxville’s most affordable housing is easily accessible to downtown.

This house just off Winona Street in Parkridge, for instance, may not technically be downtown, but it’s damn close. In fact it’s probably got a pretty good view of the skyline from the backyard. And, priced at only $59,000, it’s certainly affordable. Actually, since that works out to about $350 a month at 6 percent with zero down, for about the same you’d pay in rent for one of downtown’s lowest-priced efficiencies, you could own a two-bedroom, two-bath house a 10-to-15-minute bus or bike ride from downtown.

And it’s not like this place is condemned or anything. Sure, it could use some updating, but it’s certainly livable as is; it even has central heat and air. Surprisingly intact after years as a rental property, the house is a pretty good option for someone looking for a first-time fixer-upper. There’s loads of original trim. Four, yes four, fireplaces with original mantles, tile and cast iron, a clawfoot tub and corner sink in the original bath (the second bath is a later addition), even the original Victorian cabinetry in the kitchen. Update the baths, take down some paneling and peel up the carpet to reveal the oak underneath and you’re well on your way to a place that’s every bit as groovy as anything on Gay Street.

December 16, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 51 © 2004 Metro Pulse