LOST KNOX

Sometimes people wonder why a city the size of Knoxville has such a small downtown area...

Well, it's because we tore down half of it.

Now, in it's place, we have a gigantic basketball, a hotel that looks like it's missing a monorail, and coliseum surrounded by acres of parking. And this lost neighborhood was Knoxville's traditionally middle class black neighborhood. Coincidence? This was our mini Robert Moses style adventure in planning.

As you can see above, in the arc of inner neighborhoods around downtown, there's a conspicuous gap just to the east of downtown. From the greenway near First Creek I can see lots of bland apartment complexes starting to occupy the river bluff, so this part of town will eventually see residential life again. A generic version of what was there.

This, second only to plowing the interstate through downtown, was probably the worst thing Knoxville did to itself in the twentieth century. As these midcentury facilities age and become obsolete, I hope we can start to plan to restore the lost grid and regain our lost neighborhood.

R.I.P. O'Brian Street, Payne Ave, Mulvaney Street, and all the rest of you.