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“The Fragile 15”: 2006 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. South High School, 801 Tipton Avenue
  2. The Glencoe Building, 615 State Street, and The Elliott Hotel,201 W. Church Street
  3. Knoxville College National Register Historic District, 901 College Street
  4. The McClung Warehouses, 501-525 W. Jackson Avenue
  5. Brownlow Elementary School, 1305 Luttrell Street
  6. Fort Higley
  7. Mid-Century Modern commercial and residential buildings (1945-1965)
  8. Market Square Buildings, 26, 36 and 37 Market Square
  9. The Mary Boyce Temple House, 623 W. Hill Avenue
  10. The Cal Johnson Building
  11. Oakwood Elementary School, 232 E. Churchwell Avenue
  12. Williams Richards House, 2225 Riverside Drive
  13. Walker-Sherrill House, 9320 Kingston Pike
  14. J.C. Penney Building, 412 S. Gay Street
  15. Minvilla (5th Avenue Motel), 447 N. Broadway
South High School, 801 Tipton Avenue
South High was designed by noted local architect Charles Barber and was built in 1935-1936 as South Knoxville Junior High School. The school opened in 1937. Barber was the primary architect of 14 schools in Knoxville and Knox County prior to 1940. It served as a junior high school and a high school until the last graduating class in 1976.

Preservationists and residents of South Knoxville began their efforts to save historic South High in 2002. Over the next three years, they worked with the Knox County School Board on a plan to preserve and reuse the building. The School Board voted to transfer the property to Knox County in 2004 so a request for proposals could be issued for redevelopment. In 2005, a local developer’s plan to restore the building for residential use was rejected by the County Commission.

Since that time, under the leadership of Mayor Mike Ragsdale, Knox County has maintained the building and current plans call for issuing a new request for proposals. The recent excitement surrounding development of the South Knoxville waterfront should be a positive sign for the future of this historic school building and Knox Heritage encourages local developers to respond to the RFP when it is issued later this summer.

The Glencoe Building, 615 State Street and The Elliott Hotel, 201 W. Church Street
These downtown residential hotels speak to the time when Knoxville was the rail center for the Southeast and, like today, downtown residential living was in style. These buildings were recently condemned by the City of Knoxville for building and safety code violations. The buildings also suffer from years of deferred maintenance. They are a part of the Gay Street National Register District and eligible for preservation tax incentives and their rehabilitation will restore these beautiful buildings to their rightful prominence in downtown. Knox Heritage encourages the current owner to make the needed repairs or make the buildings available for restoration by a new owner.

The Glencoe was built in 1906 in the Neo-classical style. It was designed by the firm of Gredig & Lynn Architects that practiced in Knoxville from 1909 until 1910. Albert Gredig is most credited with the design of this building. He entered the office of George F. Barber and Company in 1893 and remained with them until 1901. Gredig was in and out of firms or practiced independently until 1914 when he practiced alone. During the year 1909, when The Glencoe was designed, Gredig also designed The Whitfield Apartments, the residence of Judge H.L. McClung on Circle Park (presently UT Circle Park), and the McMillan School. Its architectural features include two half-octagons forming a central recess, which incorporates a three-story porch. The Elliot was built in 1907 as the Whitfield Apartments and is in the Neo-classical style.

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Knoxville College National Register Historic District, 901 College Street
Knoxville College was founded in 1875 as part of the missionary effort of the United Presbyterian Church of North America to promote religious, moral and educational leadership among freed men and women. The National Register district is composed of 10 buildings, eight of which are contributing, two which are non-contributing. Knoxville College has significantly contributed to the educational and spiritual welfare of the African American population in Tennessee since 1875, particularly in the fields of industrial and normal education.

The buildings at Knoxville College are a tribute to the creativity and resourcefulness of the student body. Students designed, manufactured the bricks and constructed these historic buildings while pursuing their education. This spirit of involvement continues today, even as Knoxville College struggles to continue its mission. The historic buildings, with their fine craftsmanship and solid design, are deserving of support from the entire community and their preservation is a critical part of the rebirth of the college. Knox Heritage and its members stand ready to assist the college in its efforts to preserve its architectural heritage.

The McClung Warehouses, 501-525 W. Jackson Avenue
Although these buildings have been listed on the Fragile 15 in years past, their situation has become even more precarious as the current owner has applied for and received a demolition permit for one of the buildings. Some repairs have been made to the most deteriorated portions of the remaining buildings, but viable redevelopment plans have still not been forthcoming. 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 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 buildings at 505 – 507 were erected in 1893, 501 – 503 was added in 1903, 509 – 515 was added in 1911, and 525 was added in 1927. The buildings were originally built as wholesale warehouses for the C.M. McClung & Company. C.M. McClung & Company was a wholesale and hardware supply company. They sold everything: stoves, cutlery, sporting goods, supplies for mills, mining, lumbering, railroad, and contractors, a full line of plumbing supplies including: bath tubs, lavatories and closets. In the 1919 Knoxville City Directory McClung & Company advertised that within the warehouses they had a total of 3 ½ acres of floor space, and in the 1928 Knoxville City Directory McClung & Company was advertising 4 ½ acres of floor space.

Brownlow Elementary School, 1305 Luttrell Street
Brownlow Elementary School was built in 1913 and enlarged in 1926. The school was named for Colonel John Bell Brownlow, who was one of the developers of the neighborhoods surrounding the school. The Neo-classical style building was one of the first model elementary schools built in Knox County. Knox County made the school available for redevelopment through a request for proposals, but the chosen developer was unable to complete restoration in a timely manner. The property now has a new owner who is formulating plans for redevelopment. However, the building is vacant, vagrants have accessed it, the window openings are inadequately secured and preservationists and residents of the surrounding historic neighborhoods remain concerned about the fate of the building. Knox Heritage encourages the current owner to properly secure the building and proceed with construction as soon as possible.

Fort Higley
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, where temporary earthen trenches are the only visible reminders of the fort. From the earthworks on this South Knoxville hill, Civil War soldiers commanded the Holston River and helped protect the southern and western approaches to Knoxville. The potential of these places 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 property, and the citizens of Knox County, to band together to preserve these important elements of our Civil War history.

Mid-Century Modern commercial and residential buildings (1945-1965)
While historic preservation is typically associated with turn of the century structures like Victorians and Bungalows, another period of architecture is attracting the attention of preservationists across the country. They have become increasingly concerned that the best designs from the recent past will be lost before their age makes them eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic places.

The post-war era brought a bold new style to commercial and residential buildings. The fact that this style is familiar to so many of us is one of the biggest threats to its preservation. Iconic structures like the Lustron panelized steel houses or glass curtain wall office buildings are at risk of disappearing before we fully recognize and appreciate their contribution to our architectural culture. The most outstanding examples of design from this era could be demolished or altered before there is adequate public discussion about their significance. The historic Miller’s Building suffered such a fate before it was eligible for the National Register and it took a monumental effort to restore the building to its original appearance.

It is time for our community to begin its discussion about the buildings of the recent past that should be preserved for future generations. In the coming year Knox Heritage will be working with the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to identify and promote the best examples of modern architecture that may be at risk.

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26,36 and 37 Market Square
Market Square has experienced an incredible renaissance in the last two years and what was once an empty, abandoned city center has been transformed with specialty shopping, restaurants, residential units, offices and a seemingly endless parade of public events. These three significant buildings remain undeveloped and are in various stages of disrepair and deterioration. We call upon the owners and KCDC to cooperate in completing the restoration of all of the buildings lining Market Square.

Market Square was founded in 1854 on land given to the city for a market place by William G. Swan and Joseph A. Mabry. Although the market house formerly located in the center of the square has been demolished, the buildings lining the square illustrate the architecture of 19th and 20th century commercial Knoxville, and originally housed commercial uses on the ground floor with residences on upper stories.

26 Market Square – The A.L. Young Building (c. 1880). Vernacular Commercial style. The A.L. Young Dry Goods Store occupied this building from 1880 until 1900. Dry goods merchants such as the McBee Trading Company and J.H. Webb continued to occupy the building until 1950, when a ladies clothes shop, a beauty shop and a record shop could be found there. In 1965, the building became Bell Brothers Shoe Store.

36 Market Square – (c. 1882) Vernacular Commercial. A succession of dry goods stores occupied this building from 1885 (McMillan & Treadwell) until the 1960s.

37 Market Square – The J.F. Horne Building (c.1870). Victorian Vernacular Commercial. J.F. Horne & Brothers, a tobacco and liquor store, occupied this building from 1876 until 1905, when it became a restaurant and confectioners. From 1920 until at least 1965, it was known as the Gold Sun Café, and is probably the longest-tenured restaurant space in the county (until recently it was run by Greek families).

The Mary Boyce Temple House, 623 W. Hill Avenue
The Mary Boyce Temple House is associated with Mary Boyce Temple, a turn-of-the-century preservationist and philanthropist in Knoxville. After her death the house was used as a tourist court and for apartments. Hill Avenue is the last remaining historically residential street in downtown Knoxville. The house was built in 1907 and is in the Queen Anne Style.

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 and currently stands empty, except for the homeless who break into the house and put it at constant risk of destruction by fire. A potential new owner has made a commitment to restore the house, but delay of the sale leaves the house endangered. Knox Heritage calls upon the current owner to move quickly to transfer the property so it can be secured and restoration can begin.

The Cal Johnson Building, 301 State Street
This State Street building (circa 1880) was built in the Vernacular Commercial style and was originally used as a factory for sewing overalls. It was constructed by Knoxville’s first African American millionaire 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 most popular 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 the current level of downtown redevelopment will spur the repair and reuse of this important structure.

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Oakwood Elementary School, 232 E. Churchwell Avenue
This Oakwood neighborhood icon 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
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 distinctiveness of the house has been recognized by its inclusion on Knox County’s list of National Register eligible buildings since the completion of the Historic Sites Survey in 1984.

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.

J.C.Penney Building, 412 S. Gay Street
This building was built in 1898 after the “Million Dollar Fire” of 1897, and was the Sterchi Brothers Furniture store. The building was on the Fragile 15 list in years past due to the lack of maintenance that endangered it. The building has now been stabilized by new owners whose work revealed the spectacular original façade. We are encouraged that the property has new owners and are hopeful the restoration or reconstruction of the original facade will compliment the historic streetscape and character that exists in the 400 block of Gay Street. This would be in keeping with the other buildings that have been restored in that block, including the beautiful restoration of the Hope Brothers Building.

Minvilla (5th Avenue Motel), 447 N. Broadway
Knox Heritage commends the City of Knoxville and Volunteer Ministry Center for their recent commitment to preserve Minvilla for residential use. By using a combination of federal funding and Historic Preservation Tax Credits, they have committed to using the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation as they return the row houses to their original design. A restored Minvilla can join with the historic churches and buildings along Broadway and in Emory Place to link downtown’s renaissance to the historic neighborhoods and commercial areas to the north. Knox Heritage stands ready to help this project come to fruition and encourages the community to do so as well.

The building was built as 13 row houses, with a cluster of three facing North Broadway and a cluster of ten units facing West Fifth Avenue. The development was named Minvilla, and built by H. Clay Bondurant. It was designed by Baumann Brothers, Architects and constructed by Brimer England Brothers Contractors.

In 1913, when Minvilla was built, Knoxville’s residents were continuing a 20- to 30-year process of moving away from downtown Knoxville, where the first residences had been. The development was on the streetcar line that led from downtown Knoxville to Fountain City and was surrounded by residential structures. The two-story brick row houses, with their elegantly shaped front bays and large windows overlooking the busy street, must have seemed like very sophisticated housing. They were located in an area with other residential development, near the churches and shopping that lined this section of North Broadway. As development continued to spread away from the central city, these buildings were converted to office uses. By the 1960s, a concrete block, one story façade was installed and the buildings were renamed the Fifth Avenue Motel.

View 2005 Fragile 15 List of Knox County's Most Endangered Properties

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