Emory Place Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Emory Place Historic District is a historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....

 in 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, 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 station. The district includes the Knoxville High School
Knoxville High School (Tennessee)
Knoxville High School was a public high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, that operated from 1910 to 1951, enrolling grades 10 to 12. Its building is a contributing property in the Emory Place Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...

 building, St. John's Lutheran Church, First Christian Church, and some of the few surviving rowhouses in Knoxville. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1994.

Following railroad construction in the 1850s, Knoxville slowly expanded northward. In 1890, the "Dummy Line," a railroad line connecting Knoxville and Fountain City
Fountain City, Tennessee
Fountain City is a neighborhood in northern Knoxville, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Although not a census-designated place , the populations of the two zip codes that serve Fountain City— 37918 and 37912— were 36,815 and 18,695, respectively, as of the 2000 U.S. census...

, was established, with what is now Emory Place as its southern terminus. A farmers' market and several small industrial and commercial firms developed adjacent to the train station to take advantage of the influx of customers and transportation advantages. While Emory Place declined with the dismantling of Knoxville's trolley system in the late 1940s, many of its late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century buildings still stand, and have been restored.

Location

The Emory Place Historic District is situated around a triangular-shaped area created by the intersections of Broadway and Central Street on the north, Broadway and Fifth Avenue on the southwest, and Central and Fifth on the southeast. Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...

 and the Southern Railway
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...

 tracks divide the district from downtown Knoxville to the south. The Fourth and Gill neighborhood lies to the north, and Old Gray Cemetery lies opposite Broadway to the west.

Emory Place itself is a cross street connecting Central and Broadway. The street was once a wide avenue, much of which has been converted into parking space. 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...

, downtown Knoxville's main thoroughfare, traverses the Emory Place Historic District, and terminates at Emory Place.

Early history

What is now Emory Place was mostly farmland during the first half of the nineteenth century. In the 1850s, two events took place that led to the development of the Emory Place area. The first was the establishment of Old Gray Cemetery in 1850, which served as a de facto public park, and drew pedestrians to the area. The second event was the construction of the railroad, which reached Knoxville in 1855, pushing the city's northern limits to what is now the Southern Railway tracks. The Emory Place area was annexed in 1855.

On July 20, 1863, at the height of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, Union General William P. Sanders
William P. Sanders
William Price Sanders was an officer in the Union Army in the American Civil War, who died at the Siege of Knoxville.-Birth and early years:...

 placed artillery along what is now the section of Fifth Avenue between Broadway and Central, and proceeded to shell Knoxville, which was then held by Confederate forces. Return fire scattered the Union artillery, however, and Sanders was forced to retreat. During the Siege of Knoxville
Knoxville Campaign
The Knoxville Campaign was a series of American Civil War battles and maneuvers in East Tennessee during the fall of 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside occupied Knoxville, Tennessee, and Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. James Longstreet were detached from Gen...

 in late 1863, Confederate lines stretched across roughly the same area.

After the war, Knoxville continued to expand northward. By 1867, the Knoxville Foundry had been established near what is now the intersection of Broadway and Depot. Farmers from the rural areas north of the city began selling produce out of wagons along what is now Emory Place to Knoxvillians visiting Old Gray Cemetery, and by the late 1880s, Emory Place had become known as "Central Market."

The Dummy Line

In 1890, the Fountain City Railroad, commonly called the "Dummy Line," was built to connect Knoxville to the Fountain Head resort at Fountain City. A depot was built at the corner of Broadway and Emory Place that provided the railroad's southern terminus, and the area around the depot began to grow. A large, 33-stall market house was built for the Central Market farmers around the time of the railroad's completion. Small industries also sprang up near the depot, among them the Whittle and Spence Trunk Company (1890), the Knoxville Candy Company (1891), and the Walla Walla Gum Company (1896).

Many of the new businessmen and residents of Emory Place were the children and grandchildren of Irish and German immigrants, who had come to Knoxville in previous decades to help build the railroads. The city's second Catholic church, the Holy Ghost, sprang up along North Central, and St. John's Lutheran Church was erected by second-generation German immigrants. At one point during this period, businessmen operating in the Emory Place district included several Irish saloon keepers and an Irish tinner, a Swiss barber, a Jewish tailor, a Jewish drugstore owner, and an African-American shoe maker.

"Emory Place" is named for Reverend Isaac Emory (1830–1904), a New York-born minister who moved to a farm north of Knoxville just after the Civil War, and spent several decades establishing Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...

s across the state. In 1904, Emory was killed in the New Market train wreck
New Market train wreck
The New Market Train Wreck happened when two Southern Railway passenger trains travelling at great speed collided head on near New Market, Tennessee on Saturday, September 24, 1904, killing at least 56 passengers and crew and injuring 106.-Trains:...

, and a park adjacent to the Central Markethouse was renamed "Emory Park" in his honor. The park remained Knoxville's only urban park until it was removed in the 1950s and replaced with parking lots.

Twentieth Century

In 1905, the Dummy Line was replaced by a trolley, and Emory Place gradually became a residential neighborhood as many of its small industries failed or moved away. Several rowhouses and residential apartments were built along Central and Fifth, among them the Sterchi (now Sterchi Oaks) and the Lucerne. Knoxville High School was built in 1910, its location at the corner of Fifth and Central chosen in part for its proximity to the trolley station at Emory Place.

With the dismantling of the trolley system in 1947 and the construction of the Magnolia Expressway (now part of I-40) in 1951, Emory Place began to decline. Car dealerships— starting with the Worsham-Stockton Motor Company (1922) and the Knoxville Buick Company (1927), both on North Gay— were the most prominent businesses at Emory Place until the 1970s.

Since the 1980s, many of the buildings at Emory Place have been rehabilitated, and several of the old rowhouses and hotels have been converted into condominiums. In 2010, a development group, Emory Place Partners, purchased several Emory Place properties with plans to rehabilitate and restore them for use as office and retail space.

Notable buildings

The Emory Place Historic District consists of 23 contributing buildings and one contributing object (the "Doughboy" statue on the front lawn of the Knoxville High School building). Most of the buildings were constructed in the early 1900s, with the two oldest– 6-12 Emory Place and 15-17 Emory Place– completed in 1890. Architectural styles represented in the district include Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...

, Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

, and Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...

. The St. John's Lutheran Church
St. John's Lutheran Church
St. John's Lutheran Church may refer to:in the United States* St. John's Lutheran Church , listed on the NRHP in California* St. John's Lutheran Church...

, at the corner of Emory Place and Broadway, was listed individually on the National Register in 1985.

Knoxville High School

The Knoxville High School building is a two-story Neoclassical/Beaux-Arts structure completed in 1910. The building was designed by noted Knoxville architect Albert Baumann, Sr., of the firm Baumann Brothers
Baumann family (architects)
The Baumann family was a family of American architects who practiced in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the surrounding region, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It included Joseph F. Baumann , his brother, Albert B. Baumann, Sr. , and Albert's son, Albert B. Baumann, Jr....

, and later of Baumann and Baumann. Knoxville High School operated out of the building from 1910 until 1951, when it was split into four smaller high schools. The Doughboy Statue on the school's front lawn was erected in 1921 to commemorate Knoxville's World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 veterans.

First Christian Church

The First Christian Church (211 W. Fifth Ave.), built in 1914, was designed by noted Knoxville architect Charles I. Barber
Charles I. Barber
Charles Irving Barber was an American architect, active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, and vicinity, during the first half of the 20th century...

. Barber also designed the church's adjacent office building and Sunday school building, which were both completed in 1929. The church is home to a Disciples of Christ congregation.

The church is a two-story Neoclassical structure with Romanesque influences. The exterior walls consist of brick, with a marble cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...

, marble panels in the side walls, and marble panels with angel carvings above the front entrance. The facade is fronted by six marble columns with Doric capitals
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...

, supporting a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...

 with marble detailing.

The church's Sunday school building is a two-story Romanesque structure with a Spanish tile roof, and an arched entrance flanked by stone pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....

s with Corinthian capitals
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...

. The church's educational and office building is a three-story brick structure with a Roman tile roof and arched double doors. The church, Sunday school, and office building surround a central courtyard, and all three buildings are connected by arched passageways.

3 Emory Place

3 Emory Place, now one building, was originally three units built by the Walla Walla Gum Manufacturing Company, which manufactured chewing gum in the early twentieth century. The east bay of the building, originally 1 Emory Place, was a commercial vernacular structure built by Walla Walla circa 1903. The middle bay and west bay (originally 3 and 5 Emory Place) were two-story annexes built by Walla Walla circa 1919 and 1921, respectively. In 2010, the building was restored by the architectural firm, Sanders Pace, and is currently occupied by an office design company, Ivan Allen Workspace.

6-12 Emory Place

6-12 Emory Place, sometimes called the W. F. Green and Company Grocery Store building after an early occupant, is a two-story brick Richardsonian Romanesque structure built in 1890. The building is four bays wide with brick pilasters between each bay. The building's second story has arched windows with ashlar limestone bases.

15-17 Emory Place

15-17 Emory Place, called the Whittle and Spence Trunk Company building after its first owner, is a two-story Richardsonian Romanesque-style structure built in 1890. The building follows an irregular plan, with the facade of one half of the building facing south, and the facade of the other half facing southeast. The building is currently occupied by an architectural firm, Bullock Group, Inc.

The Lucerne

The Lucerne (201 West Fifth Avenue) is a three-story brick Neoclassical-style apartment building constructed circa 1910 by furniture store magnate James G. Sterchi
James G. Sterchi
James Gilbert Sterchi was an American businessman, best known as the cofounder and head of the furniture wholesaler, Sterchi Brothers Furniture Company. At its height, Sterchi Brothers was the world's largest furniture store chain, with sixty-five stores across the southeastern United States and a...

. The building has a front portico with stone Corinthian columns, a flat roof with a limestone cornice and parapet, and an ashlar limestone foundation. In its early years, the basement of the Lucerne was home to the Fifth Avenue Tea Room, a popular gathering place among local women. The building is now a condominium operated by Lucerne Condos, Inc.

Sterchi Oaks

Sterchi Oaks (205 West Fifth Avenue) is a three-story brick Neoclassical-style apartment building, also constructed circa 1910 by James G. Sterchi. The building has extended porches and balconies on all three levels. The first-story porch consists of a brick arcade supported by marble piers. The second-story balcony has four Doric columns and a brick balustrade. The third-story balcony has wooden Doric posts and a brick balustrade. The building is now a condominium operated by Lucerne Condos, Inc.

Patterson Cottage

Patterson Cottage (605 King street), also called "L'Hotel" after an early owner, is a two-story brick Neoclassical apartment building constructed circa 1910. A limestone cornice surrounds the top of the building, just above the second floor. The building is now a condominium operated by Lucerne Condos, Inc.

507-509 N. Central Street

507-509 N. Central Street, now called McMillan Place, is a two-story, two-unit, Colonial Revival-style rowhouse built circa 1905. The building has a brick exterior and foundation, and a flat roof and a metal cornice. The front porches are lined with wooden columns with Doric capitals and a sawn wood balustrade
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...

.

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