Downtown Knoxville
Encyclopedia
Downtown Knoxville is the downtown
area of Knoxville, Tennessee
, USA. It contains the city's central business district
and primary city and county municipal offices. It is also home to several retail establishments, residential buildings, and the city's convention center. The downtown area contains the oldest parts of Knoxville, and is home to the city's oldest buildings.
Knoxville's downtown area is traditionally bounded by First Creek on the east, Second Creek on the west, the Tennessee River
on the south, and the Southern Railroad tracks
on the north. In recent decades, however, the definition of "downtown" has expanded to include the University of Tennessee
campus and Fort Sanders neighborhood west of Second Creek, the Emory Place district
and parts of Broadway and Central north of the Southern tracks ("Downtown North"), and parts of the Morningside area east of First Creek. Important sections of Downtown Knoxville include Gay Street
, Market Square
, the Old City
, the World's Fair Park, and Volunteer Landing on the riverfront.
The downtown area is home to several large office buildings, including the Plaza Tower
and Riverview Tower
(the city's two tallest buildings), the TVA Towers
, the General Building
, the Medical Arts Building
, the Bank of America Building, and the City-County Building
and the Andrew Johnson Building
, the latter two of which house municipal offices for Knoxville and Knox County. The Knox County Courthouse and Howard Baker, Jr., Federal Courthouse are located on Main Street. Notable historical buildings include Blount Mansion, the reconstructed James White Fort
, the Bijou Theatre
, Tennessee Theatre
, Old City Hall, and the L&N Station
. World's Fair Park is home to the Knoxville Convention Center, the Knoxville Museum of Art
, and the city's most iconic structure, the Sunsphere
.
Throughout much of the 20th century, city leaders struggled to revive the downtown area, which was once the primary retail center of Knoxville. Most revitalization initiatives failed, however, due in large part to a highly-factionalized city government. In recent years, the city has had some success with mixed residential-commercial areas, namely in the Old City and along Gay Street. This effort has been aided in large part by developers such as Kristopher Kendrick and David Dewhirst, who have renovated aging office and warehouse buildings such as the Holston
, Sterchi Lofts, and the JFG Building for use as condominiums and residential flats.
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
area of Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, USA. It contains the city's central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
and primary city and county municipal offices. It is also home to several retail establishments, residential buildings, and the city's convention center. The downtown area contains the oldest parts of Knoxville, and is home to the city's oldest buildings.
Knoxville's downtown area is traditionally bounded by First Creek on the east, Second Creek on the west, the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
on the south, and the Southern Railroad tracks
Southern Terminal, Knoxville, Tennessee
The Southern Terminal is a former railway complex located at 306 West Depot Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. The complex, which includes a passenger terminal and freight depot adjacent to a large railyard, was built in 1904 by the Southern Railway. Both the terminal and freight depot were...
on the north. In recent decades, however, the definition of "downtown" has expanded to include the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
campus and Fort Sanders neighborhood west of Second Creek, the Emory Place district
Emory Place Historic District
The Emory Place Historic District is a historic district in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, located just north of the city's downtown area. The district consists of several commercial, residential, religious, and public buildings that developed around a late nineteenth century train and trolley...
and parts of Broadway and Central north of the Southern tracks ("Downtown North"), and parts of the Morningside area east of First Creek. Important sections of Downtown Knoxville include Gay Street
Gay Street (Knoxville)
Gay Street is a street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, that traverses the heart of the city's downtown area. Since its development in the 1790s, Gay Street has served as the city's principal financial and commercial thoroughfare, and has played a primary role in the city's historical and cultural...
, Market Square
Market Square, Knoxville
Market Square is a pedestrian mall located in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Established in 1854 as a market place for regional farmers, the square has developed over the decades into a multipurpose venue that accommodates events ranging from concerts to political rallies, and has long provided a...
, the Old City
Old City (Knoxville)
The Old City is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, located at the northeast corner of the city's downtown area. Originally part of a raucous and vice-ridden section of town known as "The Bowery," the Old City has since been revitalized through extensive redevelopment efforts carried out...
, the World's Fair Park, and Volunteer Landing on the riverfront.
The downtown area is home to several large office buildings, including the Plaza Tower
First Tennessee Plaza
The First Tennessee Plaza, or Plaza Tower, is an office high-rise located at 800 Gay Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Completed in 1978, the 27-story structure is Knoxville's tallest building and an iconic part of the city's skyline...
and Riverview Tower
Riverview Tower
The Riverview Tower is an office high-rise located at 900 Gay Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Completed in 1985, the 24-story structure is Knoxville's second-tallest building, and along with its sister building, the First Tennessee Plaza, anchors Knoxville's downtown office market...
(the city's two tallest buildings), the TVA Towers
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
, the General Building
General Building
The General Building, also called the Tennessee General Building or the First Bank Building, is an office high-rise located in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Constructed in the mid-1920s, the 15-story building is the only high-rise designed by Charles I...
, the Medical Arts Building
Medical Arts Building (Knoxville, Tennessee)
The Medical Arts Building is an office high-rise located at 603 Main Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Completed in 1930, the 10-story structure originally provided office space for physicians and dentists, and at the time was considered the "best equipped" medical building in the South...
, the Bank of America Building, and the City-County Building
Knoxville City-County Building
The Knoxville City-County Building is a building at 400 Main Street in Knoxville, Tennessee that houses the offices of the city government of Knoxville and the county government of Knox County, Tennessee. It also houses the Knox County Jail. The building stands ten stories, and contains of office...
and the Andrew Johnson Building
Andrew Johnson Building
The Andrew Johnson Building is a high-rise office building in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Completed in 1930, the structure was Knoxville's tallest building for nearly a half-century. The building was originally home to the Andrew Johnson Hotel, and is now used for office space by Knox...
, the latter two of which house municipal offices for Knoxville and Knox County. The Knox County Courthouse and Howard Baker, Jr., Federal Courthouse are located on Main Street. Notable historical buildings include Blount Mansion, the reconstructed James White Fort
White's Fort (Tennessee)
White's Fort, also known as James White's Fort, was an 18th century settlement that became Knoxville, Tennessee, in the United States. The name also refers to the fort, itself....
, the Bijou Theatre
Bijou Theatre (Knoxville)
The Bijou Theatre is a theater located in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Built in 1909 as an addition to the Lamar House Hotel, the theater has at various times served as performance venue of both traditional theatre and vaudeville, a second-run moviehouse, a commencement stage for the city's...
, Tennessee Theatre
Tennessee Theatre
The Tennessee Theatre is a 1920s-era movie palace, located within the Burwell Building in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, at 604 South Gay Street.-History:...
, Old City Hall, and the L&N Station
L&N Station (Knoxville)
The L&N Station is a former rail passenger station in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, located in the downtown area at the northern end of the World's Fair Park. Built in 1905 by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, the station was renovated for use in the 1982 World's Fair, and is currently home to...
. World's Fair Park is home to the Knoxville Convention Center, the Knoxville Museum of Art
Knoxville Museum of Art
The Knoxville Museum of Art is a contemporary art museum located at 1050 World's Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. The KMA is committed to developing exhibitions by emerging artists of national and international reputation.- History :...
, and the city's most iconic structure, the Sunsphere
Sunsphere
The Sunsphere, in Knoxville, Tennessee, is an high hexagonal steel truss structure, topped with a gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair.-Design:...
.
Throughout much of the 20th century, city leaders struggled to revive the downtown area, which was once the primary retail center of Knoxville. Most revitalization initiatives failed, however, due in large part to a highly-factionalized city government. In recent years, the city has had some success with mixed residential-commercial areas, namely in the Old City and along Gay Street. This effort has been aided in large part by developers such as Kristopher Kendrick and David Dewhirst, who have renovated aging office and warehouse buildings such as the Holston
The Holston
The Holston is a condominium high-rise located at 531 South Gay Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Completed in 1913 as the headquarters for the Holston National Bank, the fourteen-story building was the tallest in Knoxville until the construction in the late 1920s of the Andrew Johnson Hotel,...
, Sterchi Lofts, and the JFG Building for use as condominiums and residential flats.