Comment on this story Seven Days Wednesday, Dec. 15 • A state trooper faces charges that he issued a ticket to a man who had died 10 days previously. The trooper’s attorney argues, quite rationally, that if a man can be cited for a moving violation without speeding, why shouldn’t he be able to incur a speeding ticket without moving? Thursday, Dec. 16 • Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist brags to the Associated Press that he has brought millions of federal dollars back home to Tennessee for special projects, but that none of that money should be considered wasteful spending. Frist also claims he saves lots of taxpayer money by employing only non-union elves on his staff, and parking his sleigh and reindeer in the cheap lots. Friday, Dec. 17 • The Knoxville Utilities Board claims it will have to enact at least two rate hikes in order to pay for “wastewater improvements.” Pardon our skepticism, but to us, “wastewater improvement” sounds like a fancy way of saying “polish a turd.” Saturday, Dec. 18 • General manager Dennis Ruddy says the Oak Ridge Y-12 contractor will begin withholding pay raises from underperforming employees. Other new Y-12 cost-saving innovations include a policy that will require employees to work between coffee breaks, and another stipulating that from now on they must retire before they can start receiving pensions. Sunday, Dec. 19 • The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team loses a road game 77-58 to the University of New Mexico. Some people say the team’s home loss to UT-Chattanooga is the Vols’ worst defeat so far this year. Those are people who have never traveled 1,000 miles to get their ass kicked by something called a Lobo. Monday, Dec. 20 • After a fire ravages the Krystal fast-food outlet at 8901 Kingston Pike, the News Sentinel reports that the restaurant is a “total loss.” Having been to Krystal a couple of times in our lives, we could have told you the same thing long before it burned down. Tuesday, Dec. 21 • The Sentinel reports that county commissioners vote to continue to support Knox County Sheriff Tim Hutchison’s contesting a $300 contempt of court fine, a fight which has cost $93,000 in public funds to date. That rushing, gurgling noise you hear is the sound of your tax dollars, spiraling their way to the bottom of the bowl in the KCSO executive john. Street Talk Gary Mitchell Owner, Blue Cats, Tonic and Fiction, nightclubs in the Old City What kinds of development were important to the Old City in 2004? Residential development and creating a downtown community with several thousand people living within walking distance. How are your businesses doing in the Old City? Great. We provided entertainment, people came and supported it, and that allowed us to take more risks with obscure artists and acts that we knew would not be a big draw, but we wanted to bring them anyway. Also, it allowed us to expand and improve. We are now in the process of undertaking the largest expansion and renovation project to date. Have your businesses been active in the Old City Merchants’ Association? Yes, Lenore Kinder, our booking and promotions manager, is one of the key people in the association and is responsible for several Old City events. What has the association’s thrust been, and what does it hope to achieve in the future? The association’s primary goal, of course, is to bring people to the Old City. In the future, I hope the association can obtain grants that provide improvements that are unique to the Old City and signage indicating the Old City. What do you look forward to for downtown Knoxville in 2005? More residential development, the Tennessee Theatre reopening, and the movie theater complex on Gay Street.

Seeing Double
The Beck Cultural Exchange Center takes on a second location

Since 1975, the small unassuming Victorian-style house at 1927 Dandridge Avenue in East Knoxville has been the base of operations for the Beck Cultural Exchange Center and Museum, Knoxville’s organization for the preservation and proliferation of African-American culture. For many, the house has been a place to pay homage to those African-American figures who took part in the arduous fight for Civil Rights. For others, it’s been a pivotal base for community events celebrating contemporary African-American culture.

Despite sentimental feelings tied to its humble facilities, the Beck Center has blossomed into an active civic establishment that has outgrown its original quarters. Not only did the space become too cramped to contain Beck’s many books and historical artifacts, there simply isn’t enough room for the people who’ve become active at the center.

Director Avon Rollins’ solution was to split the center’s functions between two locations, adding the Gateway Center previously inhabited by Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corp., while still maintaining the Dandridge Avenue house for its historical character and for daily operations.

After Knoxville Tourism and Sports moved into the One Vision Plaza on Gay Street, the Gateway Center was transferred from the City of Knoxville to Knox County with the stipulation that it be used for the Beck Center. Both the city and county have also contributed to funding future renovations, along with a special appropriation from Congress initiated by US Rep. Jimmy Duncan.

For the time being, the Beck Center has moved into the spacious Gateway Center on Volunteer Landing, while the Dandridge location is undergoing renovations, which Rollins hopes to have completed within the next six to eight months. “We’re adjusting to the Gateway Center, though it has its challenges,” he says. Just a few days before their annual Christmas celebration last Wednesday, Rollins and his crew were still busily mounting photos, decorating the tree, and moving odds and ends.

As the Beck Center’s first major function held in Gateway’s impressive great room, the Christmas party proved that Beck had a dire need for the larger space. “We had around 250 to 300 people, including both mayors and many elected officials,” says Rollins.

Additions to the Dandridge house include about 3,000 square feet of new space, featuring a meeting room to hold up to 200 people. Beck’s already extensive library will be better housed in an ample new space, and Rollins says they’ll be purchasing 5,000 to 6,000 new books as well.

Once construction is complete, Beck will move back to allow a custom remodeling of the Gateway Building. With it, Beck will finally live up to the “museum” in its title, with adequate space for larger exhibits involving African and African-American themes. “We’re beginning to look at the Smithsonian to see what they have to offer, but we’re not going to be ready for a major exhibit there for about another year,” says Rollins.

Johnson and Galyon contractors will collaborate with a smaller African American firm, Pioneer Ventures, for the work on the Dandridge site. The architects, Frank Sparkman and Associates, also have working relationships with smaller African-American firms. Rollins cites supporting African-American business as a major priority in all of Beck’s projects, including this remodeling.

“Our goal is to restore the Dandridge Avenue house to its former state with some additions but also to maintain the historical integrity of the place,” says Rollins. He estimates the Dandridge renovations will cost just under $1 million.

Rollins exudes excitement when it comes to the possibilities in store for the Gateway Center, which include heightened public awareness and attendance because of its highly visible location on the riverfront in downtown Knoxville. He says the new facility will aid in spreading awareness of African-American heritage and history to the wider public.

Still, the long-time director seems most heartened about the changes to and preservation of the Dandridge house. To him and many others, the house embodies the community spirit that the Beck Center set out to promote back in 1975. “The old location will still be used for meetings, civic organizations, high school groups, fraternities, sororities, and neighborhood organizations. On any given day, there will be multiple meetings going on there,” he says.

—Molly Kincaid

December 23, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 52 © 2004 Metro Pulse