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. The buildings at 517-521 were built in 1911, and 525 was added in 1927. The buildings were originally built as wholesale warehouses for the C.M. McClung & Company, a wholesale and hardware supply company.
Over three years after an inferno destroyed half of the McClung Warehouse complex on Jackson Avenue, there has been little progress made to rescue Knoxville’s most visible endangered buildings. The fire illustrated the worst-case scenario for vacant and blighted historic buildings. Three historic buildings were lost, at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage was caused and one thriving business owner lost everything and was displaced. The opportunity still exists to redevelop the remaining buildings into loft and retail space, thus improving the tax base for all Knox County residents.
A structural analysis of the remaining buildings conducted at the request of the City of Knoxville revealed they are sound and suitable for redevelopment. Recent legal action by creditors has forced the current owner into bankruptcy and will likely result in the liquidation of assets to satisfy their claim. We strongly encourage the newly appointed bankruptcy trustee to move quickly to sell the buildings to a developer capable of restoring and revitalizing these important downtown structures to encourage further investment in the surrounding Jackson Avenue corridor.