More Than A Day Way By Mike Steely
When was the last time you took a walk downtown? If you’re like me, you probably visit a few places downtown, or if you’re new to the area, you may not know all the interesting and historic places there are in our busy and historic city.
Let’s start at the Main Street Garage. This inexpensive public parking place only charges $1 per hour, is free on weekends and weeknights after 6 p.m., and is just a block from the City-County Building that houses the Knoxville and Knox County governments. Between the garage and the government building is the historic First Baptist Church.
The main City-County Building is open to the public with a security check-in and inside you’ll find most of the public offices and courts.
Across the street is the Old Courthouse, a very historically important building. The courthouse sits atop the knoll where a pre-state militia fort once was located, and the lawn contains several notable graves, including that of Tennessee’s first governor, John Sevier. There are also historic markers outside the building and many Knox County offices continue to operate within the old building.
Gay Street runs beside the Old Courthouse and, across Gay from the City-County Building, is the Blount Mansion, home of William Blount, the first and only governor of the Southwest Territory. The historic mansion is near the north terminus of the Gay Street Bridge, now only open to bicycle and foot traffic. The origin of Gay Street‘s name is debated, but it was probably named for early settler John Gay or after a similarly named street in Baltimore. It was formerly called Market, Broad and/or Court Street.
The former Andrew Johnson Hotel towers over the Blount complex. Legendary country music icon Hank Williams stayed there the night before he died on the road.
Walking north on Gay Street will bring you to the Bijou Theatre, which was the last resting place of another historic figure, Colonel William Sanders, who was shot and killed by a Confederate sniper during the Battle of Knoxville. Just up the street is the Tennessee Theatre. Between the two theaters, you’ll find the unusual “rowing man” statue of a man rowing his small boat in the sidewalk at Church and Gay.
A bit further walking north is the East Tennessee History Center, with standing and changing exhibits of Knoxville and East Tennessee history. It sits in the 1874 U.S. Customs and Post Office building.
One block to the west, between Union and Wall avenues, is the popular Market Square pedestrian plaza with shops, restaurants and venues.
Further up Gay Street is the Visit Knoxville Visitor Center, a neat stop for anyone, especially out-of-towners. While the building is currently closed for renovations, Visit Knoxville still maintains a wealth of information online at www.visitknoxville.com.
At Summit Hill, you’ll see the huge, new sculpture in the Cradle of Country Music Park. If you walk east on Summit Hill Drive and then north on Central Street, you’ll come to the popular Old City area with restaurants, taverns and galleries. The new Covenant Health Park, home of the Knoxville Smokies baseball team, is nearby, as is the beautiful abandoned Greyhound Bus Station.
But let’s continue east on Summit Hill, which, by the way, is not named for UT’s legendary coach Pat Summitt, but is named because it’s the highest point in downtown Knoxville. Originally it was called Gallows Hill and was the hanging place for criminals. You’ll pass along a bridge overlooking Fort White Parkway and come to Hall of Fame Drive.
The street is named for the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame along the route and along the route is the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum.
Across Hall of Fame Drive from the basketball museum is the reconstructed James White Fort, originally built by Knoxville’s founder in 1786. Logs from the original cabin are said to have been used in rebuilding the fort after being preserved as part of another dwelling. Originally, the fort was located more centrally downtown.
The weather is nice this spring and everyone should take a walk; it’s good for you physically and mentally, and while you’re at it, you can see the places and history that make downtown Knoxville so special.
