PreserveNEXT
Chattanoogan’s have selected the “Top Ten” places they would like to see become our city’s next preservation success stories.
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Littleholme (Hardy-Williams House)
Built in 1928, this historic home stands near the Cravens house on Lookout Mountain and is adjacent to the Ohio State Monument. It was built by Edith Soper Hardy and she lived there until 1944. Her husband, Richard “Dick” Hardy, was an industrialist and former mayor of Chattanooga. Mr. Hardy died suddenly in 1927 but ensured that his wife would be able to build her dream home. She employed popular Chattanooga architect, Clarence T. Jones. Jones is known for designing the observatory that bears his name on Tuxedo Avenue as well as the former Industrial YMCA, now the Common House, on Mitchell Street. Mrs. Hardy ‘s plans for her home included the placement of various structures, walls, trees, a vegetable garden, cement walkways, and some of the property’s unique stone and rock storage areas which can still be seen today. Mrs. Hardy was the founder of the Humane Educational Society of Chattanooga and would later become a national figure among humanitarians as a director of The American Humane Association.
In 1947, the Williams' family purchased the residence and lived there for 50 years. The National Park Service has owned the property since 2001. Littleholme was determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places by the Tennessee Historical Commission which is advocating for its preservation. Despite that, the National Park Service has plans to demolish the structure to build a parking lot. The Park Service has concluded that the site is not historically compatible with Civil War era history and intends to focus preservation efforts on Cravens House.
Status: The property must undergo a Section 106 review before demolition can occur, but the continued lack of maintenance is resulting in demolition by neglect. An online petition to save Littleholme has secured 3,492 signatures to date.
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MLK District - "The Big 9"
What was once East Ninth Street was renamed for civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1981. The neighborhood was historically known as the “Big Nine,” home to a variety of Black-owned retail shops, offices, and entertainment venues which clustered and thrived here. At its peak, it earned comparisons to Memphis’ Beale Street for influence on the music industry.
American blues singer Bessie Smith sang on the street corners of the Big Nine as a little a girl and became the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. Sam Gooden and Fred Cash played on Ninth Street before forming The Impressions, one of the greatest vocal groups of all time.
Since 1994, the neighborhood has been listed on the National Register of Historic places as an area of great historical significance for being the only cohesive area left that is historically associated with Chattanooga’s African American population. New development and neglect have not been kind. Of the 27 original contributing structures to the National Register District (some being noted as multiple storefronts), 17 no longer exist. The Tadley Building is threatened by demolition and the Half Note Building recently had a partial wall collapse.
This district is surrounded by thriving neighborhoods and is close to the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. It is home to the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and several important murals that tell the story of the neighborhood.
Status: An organized approach to revitalization and sustainability is needed. Several businesses are thriving, so a foundation for success is present.
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Burchay Building - 819 Market Street
Since its construction in 1890, this distinctive building has been home to the Merchant National Bank, a music school, Joy’s Flower Shop, a saloon, and finally Burchay’s Furriers for 62 years until they closed in 2000. Once slated for the wrecking ball, Preserve Chattanooga negotiated an agreement with the owner of the building to preserve this structure until it can be returned to productive use.
Status: Has undergone stabilization and weatherization improvements; Empty for several years.
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Engel Stadium - O'Neil and 3rd Street
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the c. 1930 stadium was the site of the majority of the baseball scenes for the 2013 release of “42” – the Jackie Robinson story. The actual baseball field precedes the stadium and in 1917, then known as Andrews Field, saw the likes of iconic players such as Babe Ruth.
Status: Preserve Chattanooga (then Cornerstones) funded $30,000 in roof repairs in partnership with the Engel Foundation several years ago. Owned by UTC, the stadium is deteriorating without a plan in place for its use or restoration. Visit the Engel Foundation website for more information.
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Ellis Restaurant - 1415 Market Street
Located immediately adjacent to the St. George Hotel, this is another contributing property to the Market and Main Street National Register Historic District. The footprint of this building is small (app. 3,750 square feet), however it’s the historic neon sign that stands out. And yes, the frogs do jump when the sign is working.
Status: Possibly for sale.
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Olde Town Brainerd
Established in the early 20th century, “Olde Town Brainerd” sits at the eastern base of Missionary Ridge. Near the McCallie School and at the Missionary Ridge Tunnel entrance, this compact, walkable, traditional neighborhood business district has great potential. It has become an emerging “arts district” with art supplies shops and a small “urban art garden” near the tunnel entrance. Tree-lined streets and traditional storefronts provide a “Main Street” aesthetic.
Status: Traffic calming, more streetside parking, improved storefronts, and the addition of more residential and dining options would help complete the revitalization of the area.
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Parkway Towers
Located on Reggie White Boulevard next to the First Horizon Pavilion and across from Finley Stadium, Parkway Towers remains a highly visible eyesore. Efforts to market the building to a new owner have not been successful and there are different theories as to why.
Built in 1920, Parkway Towers was originally home to a Tennessee Electric Power Company substation which stored electricity generated at the Hale's Bar Dam. Despite being surrounded by vibrant sites and activities such as the Chattanooga Market at First Horizon Pavilion, Finley Stadium, Naked River Brewing Company, luxury lofts and the Chattanooga Skate Park, the building has stood vacant and neglected for decades.
While broken windows and graffiti have become a signature feature of late, it’s not difficult to appreciate the five-story building’s imposing façade, impressive proportions, and its prominent spot on the Chattanooga skyline.
Status: The property has been for sale. Marcus & Millichap has prepared an Offering Memorandum.
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Rivoli Mills
Rivoli Mills ceased operations in 2002. The facility, located on East 28th Street near Dodds Avenue, made knit golf shirts, but was a casualty of foreign imports.
The art deco brick building was built in 1910 and represents a significant period of industrial and local history related to Chattanooga's textile industry. It features hardwood floors, beams, glass block windows, and brick walls.
Former mill buildings are popular adaptive reuse sites. Rivoli Mill is currently for sale.
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All Saints Academy
The Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Chattanooga ended its ties with the All Saints Academy in 2020. The building, located nearby on 8th Street, fell into significant disrepair after serving the parish as a school and later a meeting space since 1925.
The All Saints Academy building was originally home to Notre Dame Academy, now Notre Dame High School, when it was a grade 1-12 school from 1925 to 1965. When the high school grades moved to the current NDHS site on Vermont Avenue in 1965, the remaining grades continued under the name Sts. Peter and Paul Elementary School.
Part of the Saints Peter and Paul National Register of Historic Places, the building is owned by the Diocese of Knoxville. The church at one time investigated demolition of the building.
The Chattanooga Fire Department responded to a fire in the building last October. It has struggled with vandals and homeless camps.
Status: At least one developer has looked at the building, but was unable to produce a viable pro forma for adaptive reuse. It is our understanding the diocese is open to discussing a sale of the property.
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Jazzy Buildings - 619 & 621 Market Street
Constructed c. 1900, these two properties were built simultaneously for commercial use as part of the thriving Market and Broad Street business district. Jazzy was the name of the last furniture store that was housed in one of these buildings. The very interesting architectural façade fronting on Market Street is still intact.
Status: For sale. Find more information on the LoopNet listing here. Located in an Opportunity Zone.
Preservation Success Stories
Chattanooga has an ever-growing list of successful preservation projects. Investing in historic Chattanooga is a wise choice.
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Under Development - Mill Town
The Standard Coosa Mill was once an icon of Chattanooga’s manufacturing might. Neglected at the heart of the Ridgedale neighborhood—a shell of the building has stood for decades, empty and in disrepair— a stark contrast to Chattanooga’s celebrated city center just two miles Northeast.
Benwood, Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, and Collier Construction have formed a partnership that will soon revitalize this abandoned 20-acre parcel. Milltown will deliver a unique mixed-use and multi-family community—boasting contemporary office space, ground-floor retail and dining, coffee, single family stand-alone homes and townhouses, community center, public plaza, green space, and more.
Leran more about the project here.
Read Times Free Press coverage here. -
Common House (Industrial YMCA) - 1517 Mitchell Street
Constructed in 1929, this property was used by working men that came into the city by train and needed a place to stay through the work week. The building ceased functioning in the mid-1980s and it fell into disrepair.
Enter Derek Sieg (a writer + filmmaker who worked in Los Angeles and London before moving into the business and finance side of things) and Ben Pfinsgraff (a former MLB player for the Phillies who went to business school at UVA before getting into investment banking and the hospitality industry). The founders of Common House, billed as a “modern social club”, selected Chattanooga for their third national location.
Featured in Garden & Gun magazine.
Discover Common House Chattanooga. -
Tomorrow Building (Ross Hotel) - 818 Georgia Ave.
This c. 1888 property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure to the Patten Parkway National Register Historic District. This was the hotel where Williams Jennings Bryan spent his last night before he died. Mr. Bryan was one of the attorneys in the nationally significant Scopes Monkey Trial in nearby Dayton where evolution was hotly debated.
Now known as the Tomorrow Building, it has been renovated and adaptively reused for young professionals. The Tomorrow Building is the first co-living residence in the southeast.
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Warehouse Row
From its martial beginnings as the Old Stone Fort during the Civil War in 1864, to its transformation into a warehouse district at the turn of the 20th century, the buildings that define Warehouse Row represent the vibrant history and commercial culture of Chattanooga.
As a mixed-use development in the 1980’s, Warehouse Row became a destination shopping center for the Southeast that was a part of revitalizing downtown Chattanooga.
Today, Warehouse Row is a “community shopping center” featuring luxury shops, fine dining, and office space.
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Mayfield Annex - 7th and Walnut
Located in the heart of the “Innovation District”, the historic Mayfield Annex building was renovated in 2017 into beautiful office, retail and restaurant space. This building was constructed in 1906 and was commissioned by the Chattanooga chapter of the Fraternal Order of Elks. Original features of the building have been uncovered and refurbished to create a gorgeous environment for tenants, clients and customers. It also features a rooftop patio.
The building once housed offices for the Hamilton County government. It was named for former County Council member Jack Mayfield. The County had originally planned to demolish the building, but eventually sold it to Lamp Post Properties.
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Park Place School - 1000 East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
After serving as an elementary school from 1924 to 1950, the Park Place School was decommissioned in 1965, upon integration of the city’s public schools. Presently, this collegiate gothic revival building now houses condominiums.
Once thought too costly to preserve, Preserve Chattanooga (then Cornerstones) fronted the expense of the structural and engineering reports for the building and facilitated the acquisition of the property by the current owner of the property.
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Baggage Depot - 12 West 13th Street
This c. 1860 one-story brick structure, the oldest building still standing in downtown Chattanooga, is the former baggage depot for the Queen & Crescent Railroad. Preserve Chattanooga (then Cornerstones) acquired this property, fronted the cost and structural engineering reports, and eventually transferred the property to a developer. Today the building houses Urban Stack, a popular local restaurant.
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The Fleetwood- 11th St.
This property was built in the early 1900’s one block from Chattanooga’s City Hall. It was the home of the Fleetwood Coffee plant and some of the coffee grinding equipment remains today. The structure has been adaptively reused as residential space.
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Old North Chattanooga Fire Hall - Forrest Ave.
The two-story English Tudor building (c. 1930) was utilized as a fire station for many years until a new building was erected down the street. It became underutilized and used as a storage space by the city. Several years ago, the property was sold to a private developer who replaced the roof and did other minor, but necessary repairs. The property has since been purchased by a private owner and transformed into a very unique private residence.
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MLK/ Houston Corner
This c. 1900 corner property is located in the Martin Luther King National Register Historic District. The first floor of the property remained empty for a long time but after extensive environmental clean-up, the building was secured, stabilized, and saved. Just as it was used originally, the building includes second floor residential and first floor commercial space. It’s now home to Barley Chattanooga.
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Walnut Street Bridge
The Walnut Street Bridge is one of Chattanooga’s most beloved public places. Built in 1890, the bridge has stood the test of time, a symbol and connection to some of Chattanooga’s most proud and more troublesome times. Once the bridge was closed to cars in the late 1970s, it remained closed and forgotten for nearly a decade until a group of private citizens raised over $10 million for its renovation and reopening as a lateral park that connected Chattanooga’s south and northside.
The Walnut Street Bridge was designated one of the national Great Spaces in 2013 by the American Planning Association. Today the bridge is home to the annual Wine Over Water event, Preserve Chattanooga’s signature fundraising event.
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Ellis Hotel (St. John's) - 1278 Market Street
This three-story terra cotta and brick building constructed in 1916 was originally built as the Ellis Hotel. Although the building was abandoned in 1983 and originally slated for demolition, it was instead renovated and reopened in 1999 as a mixed-use structure housing a restaurant, retail shops, and apartments. Preserve Chattanooga (then Cornerstones) acquired this property, fronted the cost for structural engineering reports, and eventually transferred the property to a developer who returned the property to productive use. Today it houses St. John’s restaurant and St. John’s Meeting Place.
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Stong Building (Terminal Hotel) - 1470 Market Street
It began operation as the Terminal Hotel in 1909. The building had a unique triangular shape and was built by a porter who stayed at the nearby Terminal Station (the Chattanooga Choo-Choo). It is an important piece of Chattanooga’s African American heritage as it served as the “colored hotel” during segregation and was owned by an African American businessman.
Preserve Chattanooga (then Cornerstones) worked diligently with the family and structural engineers to save the building, including window replacement. The roof had collapsed, and the original floors were destroyed. Today, the building houses Terminal Brewhouse, a three-story restaurant, bar, and micro-brewery.
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Under Development- Chattanooga Bank Building
An affiliate of a Milwaukee company paid $4.9 million for the 11-story Chattanooga Bank Building with plans to renovate the historic high-rise at 736 Broad St. into a Tapestry Hotel by Hilton.
The tower was designed by R.H. Hunt and constructed to house Chattanooga Savings Bank in 1927 and modified when that business was absorbed by First National Bank. After the bank closed, the building housed offices for dentists, doctors, the Tennessee Valley Authority and others.
http://www.hks-holdings.com/hospitality/