2024 Fragile & Fading List
The Knox Heritage Fragile & Fading list identifies and prioritizes local properties, landmarks, and neighborhoods in need of preservation strategies. This initiative aims to create awareness and strengthen community support to save these historic places from being lost forever.
Together, we can conserve resources, protect beautiful architecture, sustain the local economy by creating jobs and growing heritage tourism, and connect our community to our shared and irreplaceable history.
Fading Fast
JFG Coffee Signs
JFG Coffee Company was founded in Morristown, Tennessee in 1882 by James Franklin Goodson as a wholesale operation selling coffee to grocery stores. By 1919, JFG began roasting its own beans at its grocery business building in Morristown. Five years later, the company moved its roasting operations to Knoxville and added other packaged goods. JFG was sold to Reily Foods in 1965 and with the transfer came the responsibility of maintaining two iconic neon signs.
The building located in the Old City at 200 W. Jackson Ave., became JFG’s first headquarters in 1926. In 1941, JFG installed its first neon sign atop the building. The sign, which was described as a “phantom in the sky and seems to actually hang suspended in the blackness of the night,” measures 40 feet wide and 30 feet high.
Today, the sign has structurally deteriorated and will need a major restoration. The sign needs to be removed from the rooftop for repairs, which adds to the logistical complication and expense.
In 1954, JFG installed it’s second neon sign, which became a landmark on the south side of the Tennessee River, east of the Gay Street Bridge. In 2010, the sign had been taken down for restoration and, unfortunately, the existing lease agreement stated that if the sign was taken down the lessor could use the land for other purposes. The lessor exercised that right. Due to a public outcry, Reily Foods secured an alternate location for the sign on property owned by the Kerbela Shriners, and the sign was removed and taken to Charlotte, North Carolina, for restoration. In the late summer of 2012, the sign returned to its new location.
Knox Heritage’s Save Our Signs program was created in 2010 to help restore historic signs with community or cultural significance across East Tennessee. Reily Foods donated proceeds from coffee product sales, totaling $15,000, to Knox Heritage to start the grant program, and funds were also raised from the sale of original light bulbs removed from the sign.
On Oct. 3, 2023, the sign was dismantled and removed from its perch at the end of the bridge with no advance warning. Reily Foods said the lease was terminated with Kerbela Shriners, and it was told to remove the sign. Currently, the sign is in storage at the JFG plant off Sutherland Avenue. There are no immediate plans to reinstall the sign, and no current location has been chosen. Knox Heritage is currently working with representatives of the City of Knoxville and Reily Foods to identify a new location and return this iconic sign to the Knoxville skyline. Knox Heritage also is in conversations with and committed to working with Reily Foods and Allen Sign Company to find potential solutions for restoring the downtown sign.
The Paul Howard House – 2921 N. Broadway
This elegant 1910 Craftsman style house was designed by local architect Charles Hayes. Built in an era when many prominent Knoxvillians lived on Broadway, it has been home to two City Council members, a Knox County Trustee and a Knoxville City Manager with the last post held by Charlton Karns, a powerful figure in the 1920s and 1930s. During the era when Broadway was becoming known as part of the national Dixie Highway, the house served for several years as the Minton Tourist Home. For over 60 years it was owned by the Howard family, owner of a prosperous plumbing supplies company.
In the fall of 2015, the home was listed for sale and caused a stir when Chattanooga-based developer The Hutton Co. planned to purchase the property to tear down the house and place a Walmart Market on the lot. Due to neighborhood outcry, the offer was pulled. With its fate still in limbo, Knox Heritage placed the home on its Fragile & Fading List in 2015. In 2017, Danny and Rhoda Harb purchased the home with plans to use a portion as a private office while overseeing the interior renovation. Plans have stalled, and long-term use of the site is unclear.
The Paul Howard house is a community landmark, and Knox Heritage has spoken to the property owner and seeks to work with them on solutions for its preservation or to provide resources to sell the house to a preservation-minded buyer.
Lord Lindsey – 615 W. Hill Avenue
Lord Lindsey, the iconic Hill Avenue building located in downtown Knoxville, was originally built as a private residence in 1901. The home was built by businessman and civic leader A. Percy Lockett (1870-1926) and was designed by local architect Leon Beaver (1847-1905.) In 1919, the home was purchased by Lockett’s mother, Margaret Augusta Lockett, who lived in the house until her death in 1925.
The congregation of the First Church of Christ, Scientist (organized in 1899) purchased the house in 1926 and renovated into its new church. The congregation moved to a new location on Kingston Pike in 1976. In 1979 the building became the restaurant, Lord Lindsey’s, that was owned and operated by preservationist Kristopher Kendrick (1935-2009).
As a restaurant and catering service, Lord Lindsey’s has been important to those who attended functions, admired the architectural details and associated it with important events in their own lives.
Empty and underutilized for many years, this iconic downtown structure is in the Hill Avenue Historic District H Zoning and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Knox Heritage has offered to aid the current owner to find a viable use for the building and to provide business concepts that would benefit the historic structure.
Knox Heritage also advocates for the structure to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, which opens up eligibility for potential grants and Historic Preservation Tax Credits.
Standard Knitting Mill -1400 Washington Avenue
This circa 1945 building is the only remaining structure associated with Standard Knitting Mill. Standard was founded in 1900 with 50 employees. By the 1930s, Standard was the largest textile and knitting mill in Knoxville and employed over 4,000 people. At one time, Standard produced over one million garments a week and inspired Knoxville’s title as the “Underwear Capital of the World.” The current building footprint still has more than 400,000 square feet and was the home of Delta Apparel until 2007.
After a fire in January 2022 that severely damaged the front section of the building, the current owners, WRS Inc., continued to work with the City of Knoxville and a local architecture firm on redevelopment plans. Knox Heritage has reached out to the current owners multiple times but has not received a response at this time. For more information on redevelopment efforts, please visit standardknittingmill.com.
Knoxville College – 901 Knoxville College Drive
Knoxville College, founded in 1875, was part of the missionary effort of the United Presbyterian Church of North America to promote religious, moral and educational leadership among freedmen and women. The National Register District includes eight contributing buildings. The campus was the first Black college in East Tennessee and hosted prominent figures such as Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
While pursuing their education, students assisted in the design and construction of the buildings and used bricks made on campus. With their fine craftsmanship and solid design, the historic buildings deserve to be restored and used again. Currently, many campus buildings are condemned and suffering from a severe lack of maintenance. Incidents of arson and the fact that many buildings are vacant have heightened the critical need for immediate intervention.
Knox Heritage has offered support to the college leadership in researching pathways to reaccreditation in order to gain eligibility for grant funding for the stabilization of the structures. We encourage more partnerships to emerge that can work together to save this significant site.
Still Fragile
West View Cemetery District – Keith Avenue
Located in the West View Neighborhood along Keith Avenue, West View Cemetery District is a group of three abandoned Black cemeteries – Southern Chain Cemetery (est. 1898), Longview Cemetery (est. 1915) and Crestview Cemetery (est. 1922.) It is estimated that more than 15,000 burials are in the three cemeteries, though unrecorded burials may make that figure much higher. Combined, these cemeteries are the final resting place of educators, authors, doctors, musicians, lawyers and business owners.
In the 1960s, ownership of the three cemeteries was the responsibility of Crestview Cemetery, Inc., a perpetual care cemetery. During this time, hundreds of Knoxville’s Black citizens, feeling secure in the owner’s promises and obligation to maintain the site, purchased burial plots. By 1984, all three cemeteries were abandoned, overgrown and had become an illegal dumping ground.
Crestview proved to be easier to clean and maintain because it was the only cemetery set up as a business at its inception, so it fell under the jurisdiction of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. This allowed the department to acquire the cemetery in 1993 through legal action. The West View Community Action Group took over maintenance and advocacy of the historic cemeteries using all volunteers, but the group could never unravel the legalities and ownership issues. Although West View Community Action Group does not have legal control over the cemeteries, the group maintains watch and mostly relies on family members and volunteers to help care for sections in the cemeteries.
For several years, through a partnership with the West View Community Action Group and Knox County Sheriff’s Office Corrections, Crestview was mowed and maintained. But due to the pandemic, the partnership ended and has not been reinstated.
The involvement of local figures like Denzel Grant, founder and executive director of Turn Up Knox, a local nonprofit that strives to interrupt cycles of gun violence in Knoxville, shows a strong commitment to preserving the site, not just for historical reasons, but also as a way to honor and remember loved ones.
Knox Heritage advocates for Historic Overlay (H) zoning to be placed on the cemeteries, which is a critical step in ensuring that these cemeteries are protected from future development, which would help maintain their historical and cultural significance.
It’s encouraging to see that local citizens are rallying around this cause and working together to find solutions. These kinds of community-driven initiatives are vital for preserving local heritage and ensuring that important sites are maintained for future generations.
Historic Neighborhoods – Parkridge, Fort Sanders, and Mechanicsville
Parkridge is located east of downtown Knoxville off Magnolia Avenue. Originally developed as a streetcar suburb for Knoxville’s professional class in the 1890s, the neighborhood would provide housing for many workers at the nearby Standard Knitting Mill. The neighborhood contains one of the largest concentrations of houses designed by George Franklin Barber (1854-1915), a mail-order architect known nationwide for his ornate Victorian house plans. The diverse architecture, walkable streets and its notable history make this district an important part of the city’s development story. In 1990, the neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Park City Historic District and in 1997 sections of the district received Historic (H) Zoning protection.
Fort Sanders is named for the Civil War-era Union bastion that once stood near the center of the neighborhood and was the site of a key engagement in 1863. During the 1880s, several of Knoxville’s wealthiest residents built notable houses in the area alongside more modest dwellings for plant managers and workers employed in factories along Second Creek. Fort Sanders’ residents included some of Knoxville’s leading industrialists and politicians, as well as professors from the University of Tennessee and the author James Agee. In 1980, the neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 2000 sections of the district received Historic Neighborhood Conservation (NC) Zoning protection.
Mechanicsville was established in the late 1860s for skilled laborers working in the factories that sprang up along Knoxville’s periphery. The neighborhood still contains a significant number of late-19th century Victorian homes, and a notable concentration of early-20th century shotgun houses. In 1980, the neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Mechanicsville Historic District and in 1991 (updated in 2011) the district received Historic (H) Zoning protection.
As the trend of housing renovation continues, it is crucial to ensure that these renovations respect the historic character of our neighborhoods. Unfortunately, many projects are marred by inappropriate alterations, teardowns, and insensitive new construction, particularly in areas without Historic (H) or Neighborhood Conservation (NC) Zoning protection. Knox Heritage is actively advocating for the expansion of historic zoning protections in three key areas:
Fort Sanders Neighborhood Conservation (NC) Overlay: From 21st to 23rd streets along Clinch, Laurel and Highland avenues.
Parkridge Historic (H) Overlay Expansion: Extending to Cherry Street along Woodbine, E. 5th, Jefferson and Washington avenues.
Mechanicville Historic (H) Overlay Expansion: Extending to Callaway and College streets along Cansler, Douglas Avenue, University and Moses avenues.
Knox Heritage is dedicated to promoting construction best practices and encouraging sensitive development that honors the character of each neighborhood. We offer technical assistance to developers working on renovations within these districts and provide alternative design solutions to meet the housing demand while preserving our community’s historic integrity.
Moving Forward
Howell House at Knoxville Botanical Gardens & Arboretum – 2347 Wimpole Avenue
The Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum (KBGA) is a 44-acre public garden located in East Knoxville, just two miles from the heart of the city. Members of the Howell Family established a nursery business in the mid-19th century. By 1895, S.S. Howell had become known for his prize-winning strawberries and the next five generations built on this tradition. The Howells opened 13 different locations across the southeast, developed a catalog and mail order business, contributed new cultivars of trees like dogwoods to the horticultural world and served as horticultural educators and ambassadors to the local community and other professional organizations.
Fifth generation owner Joe N. Howell and his cousin, Martha Howell, also made Howell Nurseries synonymous with landscape architecture and design. In 1942, Joe opened a second Howell nursery adjacent to the original nursery known as Joe N. Howell Landscape and Nursery. Inspired by European landscape designers he studied under in Charleston, Joe installed stone hardscapes and demonstration gardens throughout the property. In 2002, the property became home to the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2022.
The Howell House is a key part of KBGA’s efforts to preserve its heritage while serving the community. As a crucial venue for events, staff offices and public restrooms, the Howell House is in need of significant restoration to address aging issues, water intrusion and deferred maintenance.
KBGA already has secured funding for essential repairs, including the original red tile roof, copper gutters and awnings, cedar shake siding and foundation stabilization. However, additional funds are needed for restoration of historic windows, doors, ironwork and upgrades to critical systems like plumbing and electrical.
For more information on how to contribute, visit www.knoxgarden.org or contact Sharon Moore at sharon@knoxgarden.org.
Giffin School – 1834 Beech Street
Located in the South Haven neighborhood, Giffin School was named for Andy Giffin, who donated the land for the original building. The original section was completed in 1920 and designed by local architectural firm Barber & McMurry. Due to overcrowding, an addition was constructed in 1928, also designed by Barber & McMurry. After several years, once again the school building proved to be too small, and a new addition was added in 1950 with six more classrooms, a gym and cafeteria. The final addition was designed by Bruce McCarty (1920-2013) of Rutherford and Painter Architects and is speculated to be McCarty’s first solo design.
For years, the building was occupied by nonprofit Remote Area Medical and was owned by Knox County. In 2015, Knox Heritage purchased the property and placed a preservation easement on the building and released a competitive Request for Proposals for the adaptive reuse. Giffin Senior Community, LLC, purchased the building in early 2016, and the school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 2016. Unfortunately, years went by with continued neglect and no movement on redevelopment plans.
In December 2022, with a renewed interest in the project, Case Enterprises came forward with plans to purchase, restore the historic building and construct new buildings for affordable housing. This new development, called Historic Giffin Square, will bring 77 units and 147 beds to help alleviate the area’s growing need for affordable housing.
The centerpiece is the rehabilitation of the 30,000-square-foot former Giffin School. Two new 23,500-square-foot residential buildings also will be constructed, complemented by several thoughtfully designed outdoor and community spaces. In collaboration with Knox Heritage, the project is currently undergoing the Historic Preservation Tax Incentive Program application process, a federal program that encourages private sector investment in the rehabilitation and reuse of historic buildings.
The project team includes George Armour Ewart Architects, Will Robinson & Associates, Haines Structural Group, Bedinger Consulting Engineers, Vreeland Engineers and Beasley Landscape Architects.