April First Friday, What to do?

New Sculpture, Krutch Park, Knoxville, April 2012

Happy Friday to everyone. It looks like the weather will be awesome for our monthly street party in the city and the crowds promise to be huge. As usual, there is so much to do in such a short amount of time, there is no way to catch it all. The most complete listing of events I've found is here.

A typical First Friday involves art openings all over downtown. Restaurants in particular are often the site of exhibitions of local or regional artists and this month is no exception in that regard. You might want to arrive in the downtown area as early as possible if you'd like to eat in a restaurant as the wait list grows rapidly throughout the evening. With any luck you'll be able to enjoy some art and good food without too much wait.

New Sculpture, Krutch Park, Knoxville, April 2012

While there is still daylight left you might want to wander around Krutch Park where you will find a number of new sculptures which have been installed in the last couple of weeks. The Dogwood Arts committee decided to expand this great program last year to allow for the displays of these works of art for an entire year. I always miss some of the ones to which I'd grown accustomed, but it is also exciting to see the new works as they arrive. I'm already feeling more connected to this group than the last as a whole.

New Sculpture, Krutch Park, Knoxville, April 2012

I also enjoy watching the people, of course. Some great people watching is to be found on Krutch Park where you might typically enjoy a drum circle. Gay Street and Market Square are packed with people ranging from west Knoxville suburbanites to friends from areas surrounding the city and the usual cast of characters from downtown. The crowd is never dull.

New Sculpture, Gay Street, Knoxville

An unusual addition to this First Friday, is  the second annual Salvage Show presented by Knox Heritage. The show includes art made from architectural salvage by a list of prominent area artists. The exhibition will be held on the second floor of 36 Market Square, meaning you get the added bonus of seeing the inside of that great renovation. More details may be found here.

Morelock Music 411 South Gay Street, Music Until Late

The heart of First Friday is the arts and, in addition to art in restaurants and music spread in every direction, there are, of course, the formal galleries and this is their night to shine. The Art Market on Gay Street often has the coolest music going and featured artists from their co-op on hand to tell you about their works of art for purchase. Music is also generally found nearby at Morelock Music (standing room only) and WDVX studios at the corner of Gay and Summit Hill.

Old Photo of the 100 Block

Knoxville also has an Art District and this is where I inevitably spend most of my time. A concentration of galleries and other creative venues is clustered on the 100 Block of Gay Street and this is also the  site this First Friday of special celebrations. You can find more details here (click Art on the Block). Not only are there openings at every turn, but there is live music throughout the block as well as a drum line, fire eaters, $15 all-you-can-drink beer at 11 Cafe and much more.

New Sculpture, Krutch Park, Knoxville, April 2012

What's not to like? Watch for me and say, "hello," if you see me about. It promises to be a great night for everyone.

Veterinarian to Possibly Move Downtown

36 Market Square

At this point it's simply being considered, but it's a pretty intriguing possibility. The proposed location is 36 Market Square and with the pet population downtown maybe, just maybe, we're ready for such a thing. In addition to shots and, I presume, treatment of sick animals, the site would also offer grooming of all sorts.

As I've documented on this blog in the past, we brought a dog downtown and it didn't work out for us. She never acclimated and really needed a place to run around without the fear of delivery trucks, fire engines, strange animals and mail boxes. I know. I don't have any idea why mail boxes.

Picture of 36 Market Square, Knoxville, Circa 1910

During the time we owned a dog, I do think we would have switched these services to a downtown location if possible. To be avoid loading her in the car and driving back to our vet in west Knoxville would have been much easier - and worth paying a bit of a premium for.

I can also imagine people who bring their dogs downtown perhaps being interested. I'm sure if I still lived outside downtown, I'd much rather walk around the city while my dog was groomed than to sit in the Pet Smart parking lot reading a book or driving around west Knoxville just to kill time. If others are like me, this would expand the market beyond the considerable number of downtown dogs and cats.

Photographic Display in Window of 36 Market Square, Knoxville

Of course, one of the great needs we felt was a place to board her downtown and I know others have made similar statements. It would be amazingly helpful to have the luxury of walking your dog to be boarded or walking to pick her up after being out of town. It appears this isn't a likelihood for this particular venture, so maybe someone else will have to take that on.

So take a stroll around the outside of the building, look at the before and after and interior photographs displayed in the window and see if you can picture a vet. Consider if you would change from your current vet to a downtown service if it was offered? Leave a comment below or vote in the poll above. The prospective business owners are watching the blog and trying to make a decision and you could help make up their minds.

Empty Interior of 36 Market Square with photographs in foreground

Downtown Knoxville Classic Victorian Tile Entryways

Tile is placed at 36 Market Square, Knoxville, December 2011

The other day as I walked past 36 Market Square I noticed a man and a woman placing tile in the entryway of that building. It's fascinating, painful and tedious work. I don't think they were used to having their pictures taken.


Original tile entryway, north side of 36 Market Square

Have you ever noticed the tile entryways to a number of downtown buildings? I've always thought they were interesting. A while back I noticed that a number of them included hexagonal shapes. The first one that really caught my attention was on Wall Avenue in the northern doorway to that same building at 36 Market Square. That particular entryway includes a central flourish encasing the names of what I assume are the original proprietors of whatever establishment originally called that address "home."


Beautiful tile entrance to the Bijou, Gay Street, Knoxville

 It was after that I noticed the entrance to the Bijou had the same hexagonal tiles in its beautiful entrance. I assumed them to be a turn-of-the-century fashion given the approximate age of the buildings downtown. Even though the Bijou is older, its front entrance was originally a basement and became exposed when the street was lowered which, I'm guessing, was somewhere in the Victorian era.

Keystone Building, Church Avenue, Knoxville



Tile in Keystone entryway, Church Street, Knoxville

 I'm sure Jack Neely must have written on this subject at some point, but I couldn't find it archived online. I wonder if a good bit of the work, particularly that with the hexagonal tiles wasn't done by the same artisan. I knew I'd noticed it elsewhere around the city and I decided to walk the streets and see just how much of it I could find. I didn't find as much as I expected.


Tiled entrance to Night Owl, Old City, Knoxville

 I found one entryway off Gay on the top of the steps leading into the Keystone Building. I found one in the Old City at the entrance to Night Owl. I know there must have been more at one time and I may have missed some of them, but I looked everywhere I thought I would likely spot them. I really thought there were more. Perhaps you can think of some I missed.


Tiled entrance to my home, CA 1916, Knoxville

One reason these tile entryways are so interesting to me is because there is one inside my home. The entryway would date to 1916 and, while the design isn't as ornate as some of the others, it includes the same hexagonal tiles. It is part of the structure we are not allowed to alter because of the building's historical designation.


Finished Product: Tiled entryway at 36 Market Square, Knoxville

 As the lead picture indicated, all this was brought back to me by the sight of a man and a woman laying tile at the Market Square entrance to 36 Market Square. I'm not sure if this was a required part of the restoration or if the owner simply wanted to add a touch common to other buildings downtown and in sync with the entrance on the other side of the building. This entrance and the one on the northwestern side of the building are both nicely done, though they do not include hexagonal tiles. Maybe that's just as well: let it be a marker of an artisan of a past era, a small portion of whose work we continue to enjoy today.

Do you have more information? A link to a Jack Neely article? Are there other entryways I've missed? Tell us in the comments below.

36 Market Square: The Square's Most Beautiful "New" Building?

36 Market Square, Knoxville

I'll admit I had my doubts and grumbles about the building for a long time. The front facade was crumbling and all parties agreed it had to be removed. Ultimately the back end of the building had to be replaced. The interior, when exposed looked like a small explosion had blown away everything but chaos.

The other exposed exterior wall seemed better suited to the graffiti wall which sometimes contains surprising art by such local creative spirits as Cynthia Markert and Brian Pittman among others. Of course, it also gave voice to some of Knoxville's most disenfranchised or at least disgruntled citizens as they expressed their distaste for or opinions about any number of subjects, but always of TVA whose towers replaced a once vibrant street scape across Wall Avenue with two very large towers.

Interior view of the first floor from front to back, 36 Market Square



Interior view from rear, looking out toward the square, 36 Market Square



Ken (he asked that his last name not be used) saw something different. He saw the great potential and possibilities in 36 Market Square, the tallest (see views from inside in photographs below) and most spacious building on the square. Of course, he wasn't the first. That would be Scott and Bernadette West who once owned the building but lost it when much of their property was taken by federal agents in 2006.

View from the first floor, 36 Market Square



"Hello neighbors," from second floor, rear windows. 36 Market Square 



View of Market Square from the second floor of 36 Market Square



The view of TVA Plaza from 36 Market Square

A year later, at auction, Ken stepped in, bought the building, and promptly watched our economy stumble, fumble and fall. Not a great time for a huge project needing financing and facing a mine-field of local and national rules, regulations and requirements for reconstructing an historic building on Market Square. He enlisted the help of contractors Christopoulos and Kennedy who, along with site supervisor Mike Laghazzi, would see the entire project through.

Ken, along with his son Josh, patiently set about doing everything that was necessary to make his vision for the building come true. He had memories of eating burgers at the Blue Circle while hanging around downtown as a young guy in the 1960's. Perhaps those memories of what downtown once was made him determined to preserve some of the past while offering a new beginning to an old friend in 36 Market Square. He saved that Blue Circle sign, which wasn't easy I'm told. He hopes to re-introduce it somehow into the design of the building.


Basement at 36 Market Square, Knoxville, November 2011

 

Second Floor, 36 Market Square, Knoxville, November 2011



Fourth Floor, 36 Market Square, Knoxville, November 2011

He and his wife Brenda, of whom he speaks lovingly, have already enjoyed the building. The two of them have listened to Sundown in the City from inside the building and he, particularly, has enjoyed reading on the roof top, though once that resulted in his being encouraged to jump. He'd hoped to have a deck on top of the building but, so far, that seems not likely. The same difficulties with sight-lines that gave the Wests so much trouble at the Preservation Pub seem to have thwarted those ideas for the time being.

The building contains a basement and four floors, with each being available for lease. The intention at this time is to leave each level open from front to back with retail likely for the first floor and the top three floors, perhaps along with the basement being set for office space. The upper floors are well lighted as windows have been installed on every side, while the basement is smaller and less lighted.


One of two new stairwells, 36 Market Square, Knoxville, November 2011

 

New Elevator in the rear of 36 Market Square

  

Old elevator shaft looking from the top, 36 Market Square

The building previously had an elevator, but that shaft was not workable with a modern elevator, so a new one has been installed in the rear of the building. A stairwell has been added to the front to afford direct access to any of the floors above the first.

Mysteries and a couple of treasures were uncovered along the way. Ken said, "Sometimes I felt like Geraldo Rivera." He tells me he found a couple of very old coins beneath the original surface of the first floor, one of which dated to the 1880's. Some of the wood floors inside were able to be salvaged and were donated to Knox Heritage and ultimately used in their Green House project in Fort Sanders. An apparent, sealed passageway to the neighboring building was uncovered. An inscription was found on the fourth floor wall to that neighboring building which seems as if it would have been designed for the exterior of a building, but that wall was never exposed to the best of any one's knowledge. Jack Neely can't seem to figure it out for certain and if he can't, well, you know the rest of that sentence. You can read his musings here.

Mysterious inscription inside old elevator shaft, 36 Market Square

Other features had to covered due to the historical status of the building. Some were surprising. The new brick on the lower floors had to be painted to match the brick above that had already been painted. On the interior the brick had to be covered because that is the way it was originally built. When the contractors tried to add plaster to the remaining original plaster, it crumbled. This dictated its removal, exposing beautiful century-old brick. Generally downtown that is seen as an asset. Not this time. It had to be covered with a new layer of plaster to be historically accurate.

But all that will soon fade to memory as a once proud building opens, once more, for business and begins to build memories for future generations of Knoxvillians. I have a vague memory of going into the building when it contained a business on the corner. I might have bought cokes there for my family in the middle 1980's, if I recall correctly. I hope, along with all of you to be able to frequent the building as a paying customer once more.

So, are you the right tenant for this building? If you think so, contact George Brown (gbrown@woodpropertiesinc.com) at Wood Properties and get the details!


36 Market Square, Knoxville, November 2011



Various Building Projects Updates (and a musical note or two for the weekend)

I'm posting a few pictures I've taken recently of the various construction projects in the area of Market Square. Serious progress seems to be happening at 36 Market Square and at the Arnstein Building, in particular. Let's work south to north:

Sidewalk on Union - Getting Closer to pedestrian friendly

The sidewalk beside the Miller's Building is looking pretty good. More progress has been made since this picture, but work inside the building continues and the various construction paraphernalia is still sitting about.

Arnstein Building about three weeks ago

Arnstein Building with new windows

Also on Union Avenue, the Arnstein Building got its windows recently and while they don't protrude quite as far into the sidewalk as they used to, they are similar in style. I was excited to hear at the recent CBID meeting that there will be additional street-level commercial space available beyond that which Ruby Tuesday's plans to use for their Mexican grill.

Massive scaffolding on Gay Street

Around the corner on Gay Street, the conversion of the S and W into a beauty school continues, though the interior looks like a restaurant disguised mildly as something else. The lighting everyone seemed to have loathed is still in place. Just down the street across from Downtown Grill and Brewery is the most massive array of scaffolding I've ever seen in Knoxville. I can't tell that the building has changed, but it sure is covered in metal piping.

Work on the back of 36 Market Square

Side of 36 Market Square with new brick, but no Blue Circle Burger sign

Interior of 36 Market Square taking shape

Finally, 36 Market Square has come a long way recently. A lot of work has been done on the back (alley) side and the Wall Avenue side has bricks and glass. I miss the Circle Burger sign, but I'm sure a certain someone has it stashed away. There is one side entry, only, so that's different than before. It's hard to picture what the final product will be, but I'm hoping there is a store front on the Market Square side and the Wall Avenue side. It would be the only business (besides the TVA Credit Union) on a street that used to be bustling. What I really need, of course, is a guided tour so I could report the details accurately and completely. (Thousandth hint) You can get occasional updates and pictures of the project here.

It's interesting that, with Market Square being the current hub of downtown, three corners are currently vacant. I've heard nothing to indicate that the corners will have businesses any time soon. It will be a red-letter day for me when Market Square is fully occupied and Union Avenue is construction-free. I know Union Avenue has had construction of some sort for two years. It would be a Jack Neely question as to the last time Market Square was fully occupied.

There are a couple of musical events I'd like to give particular mention to. One is called "Rock and Roll Velodrome," and it happens at Barley's starting at 3:00 on Saturday and running until 1:00 Sunday morning. Bands will play both outside and inside and particularly I'd be looking to catch Greg Horne, The Tim Lee 3 and Senryu. The cover is $10 and the money goes to cover medical expenses for Steve Hancock a local musician and cyclist who was struck by a car in May. The other musical event that seems pretty significant to me is the Royal Bangs playing two shows at the Pilot Light. Unfortunately, the two events are not only on the same block, they are head-to-head. I've got to find out why the buzz is so great for the Royal Bangs, but I really want to go to the other show. Maybe I'll see you at both.

Little Things - Subtle Shifts in the Summer Time City

I've recently written about some of the major summer events and openings such as Bella Luna and The Market. Those followed spring openings for Just Ripe, Jackson Avenue Market and Union Avenue Books as well as the re-location of Re-runs: Big news in every case.

This is about some little things I've noticed - not quite big enough for their own blog, most signify a step forward or a continuation in the slow march toward a vibrant urban environment. Much of what you'll find was gathered from the Knoxville News Sentinel or particularly in many cases, Josh Flory's excellent Property Scope blog.

Sidewalk Work Continues on Union Avenue

Union Avenue is a discussion unto itself. The sidewalk work near Gay Street continues with an expanded scope due to problems beneath the surface. City Council had to authorize significant increases in funding and now the sidewalk on both sides of the street near Gay Street are torn up. The sidewalk and street repair on Market near Cumberland appears to have been finished. They were part of the same proposal in the beginning, if I remember correctly.

Arnstein Building becoming condos and a subsidiary of Ruby Tuesdays

On the same street, construction continues on the Arnstein Buidling with plans announced this summer to bring the exterior closer to its original appearance than it has been in years. The bulging windows some of you may remember are currently gone. I'm not sure if they will be back.

The Regions Bank Building is now the William F. Conley Building.

The Regions Bank Building has been renamed after the owner's father, though someone posting to the News Sentinel site questioned how much an honor it would be to have a building named after you if the building is ugly and atop it sits a mockery to the city's progress in the form of a massive abandoned digital clock.
The UT Conferance Center building continues to be re-tiled, though I'm not sure its appearance will improve. That's another ugly building which has stood just long enough to become protected. I'm a member of Knox Heritage and I'm very happy they do what they do, but is an old building ever just an ugly old building? I know, I know.

Reruns in the Daylight Building, Union Avenue, Knoxville

The funky new sign - it spins!

Reruns got a cool, new sign this summer.

Bricks have been laid at 36 Market Square along Wall Avenue.

The Interior of 36 Market Square continues to take shape.

Construction continues on other buildings, as well: 36 Market Square has been bricked and it appears the bottom floor will house one business as the multiple entrances seem to be gone from the Wall Avenue side. The Miller's Building on Gay Street is covered in scaffolding the S and W proceeds with its transformation to a beauty school.

The S and W Grand changing to a beauty school.

Esthiology? I thought they were going to cut hair!

The property which is now a parking lot beside the State Street Garage is being discussed as a location for new construction of condos which would be rented. Whether it fits with the Marble Alley vision or not is unclear, though it appears that project is still in development. The high-rise condo project proposed for the north-east corner of Main and Henley has been abandoned.

Large, missing tree near the Market Square stage.

Finally, a tree went missing from Market Square just last week. Has anyone seen our tree? Is someone preparing for winter by hoarding the last of the downtown firewood?

Sometimes it's all a mess to walk through, but it signifies progress and comes at a time when not much is happening nationally, so we should be pleased. It also means that if we ever get our economic act together nationally, Knoxville will probably explode - and we'll be there to see it.