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“The Fragile 15”: 2005 List of Endangered Historic Places

Every year during National Preservation Month, Knox Heritage releases its list of the most endangered historic buildings and places in Knoxville and Knox County. Knox Heritage invited the public to submit nominations for endangered places and the board of directors determined the final list – The Fragile 15. The list is intended to educate the public and local leaders about the plight of significant historic resources. Often, the endangered properties and open spaces included in the list are representative of other endangered parts of our heritage.

Knox Heritage is committed to acting as an advocate for the endangered properties we identify each year. We invite the community to join us in our efforts to save our endangered heritage. For more information, contact the Knox Heritage office at (865) 523-8008 or E-mail:info@knoxheritage.org.

  1. The McClung Warehouses, 501 – 525 W. Jackson Avenue
  2. The Keller House, 1628 W. Cumberland Avenue
  3. The Mary Boyce Temple House, 623 W. Hill Avenue
  4. The Cal Johnson Building, 301 State Street
  5. Oakwood Elementary School, 232 E. Churchwell Avenue
  6. Williams Richards House, 2225 Riverside Drive
  7. Walker-Sherrill House, 9320 Kingston Pike
  8. The Curtis House, 2543 Magnolia Avenue
  9. Fort Higley and Fort Stanley, “Civil War Fortifications” including Strawberry Plains sites
  10. J.C. Penney Building, 412 Gay Street
  11. Downtown’s Historic Bridges & Viaducts: Henley Bridge, Gay St.Viaduct, Broadway Viaduct, etc.
  12. Historic Farmsteads in Knox County
  13. Demolition by Neglect of Historic Properties in Neighborhoods
  14. Teardowns in Historic Neighborhoods
  15. Neglected Historic Cemeteries
The McClung Warehouses, 501 – 525 W. Jackson Avenue
We call upon the City of Knoxville and KCDC to take immediate action to save these buildings since they are threatened by extreme neglect and exposure to the elements. These highly visible buildings on Jackson Avenue were originally built between 1910 and 1920 as wholesale warehouses and are a reminder of the era when Knoxville was one of the leading wholesale centers in the Southeast. They have been the subject of numerous redevelopment announcements but have never been restored or maintained properly. They are one of the most visible downtown landmarks to the thousands of motorists who pass along I-40 every day. Their restoration would have a major positive impact on the public’s impression of downtown. The Jackson Avenue area is currently the focus of a city redevelopment plan.

The Keller House, 1628 W. Cumberland Avenue
The Keller House, built in 1910, is one of the last two residential houses remaining on Cumberland Avenue, a street that was once mainly residential. The house’s longest-term residents were Ernest and Louise Keller, who lived there for 25 years. The Howard Baker Center plans to construct a new building at the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Melrose Place. The current design calls for the demolition of the Keller House. Knox Heritage calls upon Ambassador Howard Baker and the board of the Baker Center to re-examine this decision and to work to incorporate the Keller House into the new development. The house could be an asset to the Center and its preservation will set an excellent example for others in the University area to follow.

The Keller House is a prominent reminder of the residential neighborhood that once surrounded and supported the University of Tennessee. During the last 50 years, hundreds of homes have fallen to the wrecking ball due to University expansion. UT administrators have now destroyed all of the remaining residential structures in the Lake and Terrace Avenues area. Knox Heritage calls upon the administration of the University to immediately begin the creation of a preservation plan for the remaining historic buildings in their possession and to give the successful bidder on The Keller House adequate time to relocate the home if the Baker Center continues with its current plans for destruction.

UPDATE: The Keller House was demolished by the University of Tennessee on 8/1/2005

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The Mary Boyce Temple House, 623 W. Hill Avenue
The Mary Boyce Temple House, built in 1908 and also known as the Chambliss-Temple House, is located on Hill Avenue, the last remaining historically residential street in downtown Knoxville. The buildings in this district were threatened by the construction of a new hotel in 2003. Mayor Victor Ashe ended that immediate threat when he applied for and received historic overlay (H-1) zoning for the district. Mayor Bill Haslam and hotel developer Shalesh Patel have contributed to preservation efforts for the historic Mary Boyce Temple House through a development strategy that will provide a portion of the funding needed to preserve the home. The Temple House is in a precarious position in the district and currently stands empty, except for the homeless who break into the house and put it at constant risk of destruction by fire. Knox Heritage is hopeful the current owner will work with us and any interested buyers to secure a vibrant future for this local landmark.

The Cal Johnson Building, 301 State Street
This State Street building, originally used as a factory for sewing overalls, was constructed by Knoxville’s first African American millionaire (circa 1880) and is most likely the largest commercial structure remaining in Knoxville built by a former slave. Cal Johnson also served as a city alderman during his extensive career, which included the operation of several area saloons and Knoxville’s first and only horse racing track at Speedway Circle. The building is threatened by long term, ongoing deterioration and a lack of maintenance. Knox Heritage encourages its current owner to make long-overdue repairs and hopes that forthcoming downtown redevelopment projects will spur the repair and reuse of this important structure.

UPDATE: The Mary Boyce Temple House is still for sale. Any intersted parties should contact Knox Heritage at (865) 523-8008 for more details.

Oakwood Elementary School, 232 E. Churchwell Avenue
This Oakwood neighborhood icon was built in 1914. It is currently owned by the Knox County School System and is used for storage. The later addition is occupied by the Teacher Supply Depot. The Knox County School System has moved most of its activities out the building and has discussed plans to sell it for private development. Due to the rapid deterioration of the building, Knox Heritage calls upon the School Board to act as quickly as possible to either make necessary repairs to the historic portion of the building or put the building out to bid for private development.

Williams Richards House, 2225 Riverside Drive
This historic building is also known as Colonial Hall and Marbledale. The oldest part of this house was built in 1842 by John C. J. Williams, II, in the Federal style. The house faced Dandridge Avenue at that time. Williams was the grandson of James White, founder of Knoxville, and he was the great-grandfather of playwright Tennessee Williams. He called the plantation Marbledale, and reportedly entertained such dignitaries as President Andrew Johnson. Tennessee Williams was a visitor to the house. When the property was purchased by John Richards in 1899, it was remodeled and renamed Colonial Hall, and it acquired its current Neo-classical appearance at that time. The house was featured locally on postcards and china as late as 1910. The house is endangered by the inaction of its current owners. Knox Heritage encourages the owners to stabilize the property and, if necessary, work to find a sympathetic new owner to restore the house to the prominence its heritage deserves.

Walker-Sherrill House, 9320 Kingston Pike
The Walker-Sherrill House and the 104-acre-tract it is situated upon is owned by the heirs to the estate of Max Sherrill. The two-story house was built around 1830 of handmade brick in the Federal style with Georgian Revival influences. It is one of only two remaining houses in Knox County that contains elaborate, unique hand-carved woodwork. The house is endangered by neglect and threatened by commercial development. It is located near the tract’s western property line along Kingston Pike; sub-dividing the acreage to create a separate parcel for the house will allow commercial or residential use of the vacant land while maintaining the historic house and its setting. We call upon the heirs of Max Sherrill and elected and appointed officials to formulate a plan that preserves this irreplaceable architectural treasure.

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The Curtis House, 2543 Magnolia Avenue
This distinctive early 20th century home was built by Joseph W. Curtis in 1913, when Magnolia was a street of finely-styled, upper class residences renowned for its magnolia-lined median strip. In the last three decades this once grand avenue has become a symbol of the ill effects of disinvestment and poor planning for one of Knoxville’s signature urban streets. This house is vacant and unpainted, its lawn is overgrown, and it is surrounded by a menacing, metal security fence. Its appearance detracts from the rapidly strengthening historic residential neighborhoods around it and actually devalues the surrounding area. Knox Heritage calls upon its owners to offer the house on the open market, and make it possible for new private sector owners to rescue the house, so that it can become a contributing element to its surrounding neighborhood. The property is owned by DWS Hydraulics in Houston, Texas.

Fort Higley and Fort Stanley - “Civil War Fortifications” including Strawberry Plains sites.
In many communities where Civil War Battles were fought, the land where competing forces struggled has been lost to redevelopment. Civil War battles often were not dependent on forts built with permanent construction, and this is especially true of Fort Higley and Fort Stanley, where temporary earthen trenches are the only visible reminders of the forts. Their potential to teach important lessons to future generations and increase heritage tourism in our area is being lost. Knox Heritage calls upon the owners of the properties, and the citizens of Knox County, to band together to purchase and preserve these important elements of our Civil War history.

J.C. Penney Building, 412 Gay Street
This building was built in 1898 and at one time housed the Sterchi Brothers Furniture Company. The building was owned by the JCP Partnership from at least 1986 until this year. Years of neglect placed the structure in danger and had a negative impact on adjacent historic buildings. This year the building received a reprieve when it was purchased by preservation-minded new owners. We are confident they will repair structural problems and hopeful they will create a façade that is compatible with the historic architecture that surrounds it.

Throughout its length, Gay Street has seen important preservation-based redevelopment over the past few years. Most of the buildings that line the street are listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of either the Gay Street or the Southern Terminal and Warehouse Historic Districts. Neither of those historic districts is accompanied by a local H-1 Historic Overlay, which could protect and encourage the recovery of the distinctive exterior facades of these significant examples of Knoxville’s late 19th century architectural history. The National Register listings, while they offer incentives for preservation and rehabilitation, do not offer protection of buildings that are not taking advantage of those incentives. Knox Heritage calls on the city administration and the Knoxville City Council to request H-1 Historic Overlay listing for the significant historic buildings that line Gay Street and for other significant downtown buildings.

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Downtown’s Historic Bridges & Viaducts: Henley Bridge, Gay St. Viaduct, Broadway Viaduct, etc.
The Henley Bridge was constructed in 1930 by the Marsh Engineering Company and the Booth and Finn Company. The Gay Street Viaduct was built in 1919 and the Broadway Viaduct was built in 1927. Planned road improvements by TDOT threaten the design of various downtown bridges and viaducts including the Henley Street Bridge, the Church Street Viaduct, the Broadway Viaduct, and the Gay Street Viaduct (at the intersection with Jackson Avenue). It is important to downtown Knoxville that the new design of these portals be appropriate to the historic areas they serve and serve as gateways connecting the downtown renaissance with the surrounding historic neighborhoods.

UPDATE: The Gay Street Viaduct was closed for demolition in November 2005.

Historic Farmsteads in Knox County
Knox County was once filled with family farms that held the incredible landscapes for which this region is known. Rapid development over the last 30 to 50 years has erased most of the signs of our rural past. Farmland and the wonderful houses that sheltered generations of farming families are becoming more scarce every day. Knox Heritage encourages local government officials and planners to protect this important part of our heritage as we continue to nurture our local economy. We also encourage the owners of these special places to consider following the path of Earl Cruze and his family, who have protected their home place forever through a conservation easement held by the Land Trust for Tennessee.

Demolition by Neglect of Historic Properties in Neighborhoods
Knoxville is graced with an abundance of late 19th and early 20th century architectural gems. The abundance of its historic neighborhoods is testimony to this fact. Yet, within those historic neighborhoods are individual buildings that are not well maintained, and in some cases are abandoned. It is time for our community to create the tools needed to protect and secure these wonderful buildings and ensure they are transferred to owners who will care for them and the neighborhoods they inhabit.

Teardowns in Historic Neighborhoods
i.e. Old Westmoreland, Sequoyah Hills, Forest Hills and Lyons View.
Several close-in neighborhoods just west of downtown have recently experience tear downs – the demolition of existing historic buildings and the construction of new residential units that are out of character and scale with the surrounding neighborhood. We need look no further than Knoxville’s Victorian-era neighborhoods to see the negative impacts of the inappropriate redevelopment that occurred 50 years ago. Knoxville can ill afford to repeat those mistakes in its circa-1920 neighborhoods. Knox Heritage calls upon our city officials, the redevelopment community and the Metropolitan Planning Commission to devise strategies for assuring that the integrity of these early 20th neighborhoods remains inviolate and they continue to be assets for Knoxville in the future.

Neglected Historic Cemeteries
Many of Knoxville and Knox County’s historic cemeteries are experiencing neglect and abandonment. These “silent cities” hold the people who built our community and their current condition is a negative reflection upon our entire community and the neighborhoods where they exist. Knox Heritage calls upon the cemetery owners, community residents and our public officials to work together to construct long-term solutions for these historic places and enforcement strategies that will deter abandonment. The Knox County Cemetery Preservation Association has formed and this new coalition of concerned citizens, public officials and organizations welcomes all who want to help them in this important work.

UPDATE: The Knox County Cemetery Preservation Association is working to clean several historic cemeteries across Knox County. If you are interested in joing the Association, please contact Kristina Shands at Knox Heritage, (865) 523-8008 or by E-mail.

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