Bill Lyons enjoys the view from the deck of a home at Riverside condos on Volunteer Landing.
Have you ever toyed with the possibility of moving downtown? If you have, let me warn you about what may tip the scales and have you calling the moving van. Go visit some downtown residences.
The options downtown are so diverse that there truly is something for everyone. Condos of every size are for sale and lease. There are opulent lofts in some of downtown’s most visible buildings like The Holston, The Emporium and the Burwell Building, which is where the Tennessee Theatre is located. And then there are less expensive places popular with students such as Sterchi Lofts and JFG Flats. And everything in between.
There are views facing every direction — the mountains and river to the east and south, the Sunsphere and UT campus to the west, and every imaginable view of downtown from every imaginable vantage point, high or low. You can look out over Krutch Park; you can have a home on the Tennessee River; or you can have the option of stepping outside your abode straight onto bustling Gay Street or Market Square. But there are quiet little hideaways, as well. Places most folks don’t know about that are tucked away on the side streets.
Here is the view -- and wonderful art piece -- on the rooftop deck of The Gallery Lofts, above Mast General Store.
You just have to visit some of the various buildings to get an idea. Every downtown home I’ve been in truly exudes its own energy. Even those in the same building can have vastly different “feels.” We live in Cherokee Lofts, for example, on the corner of Church Avenue and Market Street. From our living room, we can see the “Man in the Boat” sculpture and Gay Street, where people are posing for photos all hours of the day and night. And we can look straight down Market Street to Krutch Park and Market Square and see crowds gathering for various events. You truly can feel the energy of living in an urban area. And we love that. But another condo we own in the same building — our guest condo — faces a sweet little courtyard and has a restful, calm energy, which we thought our overnight visitors would enjoy.
We know so many downtown residents who had not really made up their minds about moving here — until they experienced a variety of options. Some of us downtowners recruited Bruce and Monique Anderson to downtown from Sequoyah Hills by taking them on a progressive dinner, dropping in on several homes during one evening, all on foot. Gay and Bill Lyons sold their house in West Hills and moved downtown after spending time in a number of condos owned by friends and work colleagues. Alan and I first saw the condos we own today on a City People tour of downtown. I have to laugh when I recall what I said to developer David Dewhirst, who owned the units at that time. “Those are too small,” I said. “Nobody could actually LIVE there!” Ha! Little did I know we would end up combining two of those small units into the home we absolutely love living in today.
I never tire of visiting different homes downtown. Because of that, I recently went on this year’s CityPeople Annual Home Tour and was once again enchanted by this magical neighborhood. Come join us downtown! Or at least drop in and see if you don’t also get bitten by the downtown living bug.
This is the living room of unit 701 in the Burwell Building, located at 602 S. Gay Street. The Burwell Building was built in 1907 on the original site of Blount College, which later became the University of Tennessee.
Homeowners Judith Meyer and David Denton were gracious to open their condo to the tour.
This is Aki, one of my favorite downtown dogs. He might not be much of a watchdog, but he has a great personality. When he's not sleeping!
Judith and David hold him in high regard, too, judging from this huge photo of him dominating the entrance to their condo. The portrait is by downtown photographer John Black.
I loved this cool lamp in the living room at the Burwell Building.
Here is the very peaceful bedroom.
Next stop for me was The Phoenix and the home of Linda Gay Blanc and Marshall Peterson, who live in unit 501.
The Phoenix, located at 418 S. Gay Street, was built in 1899. It has survived two devastating fires, thus its name shared with the legendary bird that rose from the ashes. Here's the dining area.
Clever placement of the Cynthia Markert "ladies drinking" piece under the wine glasses.
Here's the kitchen. For 50 years, Fowlers Furniture occupied the building that now is called The Phoenix.
I love the binoculars at the ready!
Use of sliding pocket doors makes the most of the space in The Phoenix. Here's the master bedroom.
A guest bedroom has been turned into a study/library.
Hahaha!
Phoenix homeowner Linda Gay Blanc, right, with Lisa Morrison, the owner of a condo at The Cunningham, which also was on the tour.
Another great thing about living downtown is that, on a regular basis, you see so many folks you know.
On the sidewalk on Gay Street, I ran into my pal Gina Buffum, right, and her friend, Jerrine Bogan. They were on the home tour, as well.
Next up: The Gallery Lofts, located at 402 S. Gay Street, above Mast General Store. Unit 404 belongs to my friend Tim Young, the CEO of Summit Medical Group.
Awesome kitchen! Hard to believe this building was constructed in 1898, in the wake of the so-called "Million Dollar Fire," which destroyed the entire east side of the 400 block of Gay Street on April 8, 1897.
Restful dining area.
Um, Tim? Doesn't having this in your condo keep you awake at night? Just kidding. It is colorful. But I think I'm going to dream about those eyeballs for months to come!
View from the deck. Pretty pansies.
How cool is this? A love seat made of belts!
Love the paint job in the master bedroom.
Tim wasn't home when we visited his condo. But, as we left, we ran into him having lunch at Downtown Grill and Brewery with his friend, Adam Milsaps, right. See what I mean about downtown?
The Residences at Market Square are not historic. They were built in 2007. Hosts Chris and Charity Morris opened unit 301 to the tour.
Here's a cute eat-in area.
Cheerful artwork on the little deck.
The whole pantry door in the kitchen is turned into a chalkboard! Clever. My friends Gay Lyons, left, and Alta Emmett are checking it out.
The bedroom was quite roomy.
It included this nice sitting area.
We then headed back to Gay Street and Cook Loft at 722 S. Gay.
Thomas Hensley's great grandfather, Joseph Edward Cook, built the building in 1924. It has housed many businesses and is today a nightly and weekly rental unit.
Here's the living room. Hensley said the 2,200-square-foot unit is often used for groups attending football games or for wedding events. "Bachelorette parties are the worst!" he confided.
Nice, big kitchen.
I love the exposed brick in this bedroom.
If you’d like to go to the website for Cook Loft, click here. There you will find rental rates and more photos.
The Glencoe, at 615 State Street, was built in 1906 as an apartment building and was operated as such for nearly 100 years. It recently was remodeled into condominiums.
Architect Kristin Grove invited us into her home in unit 101. Here's the comfy living room.
I love Kristin's kitchen!
She has great Halloween decorations!
Master bedroom
Guest bedroom
Den
Riverside condos, located at 530 Riverfront Way on the north side of the Tennessee River, were built in 1985-86. Zibbie Kerin has lived in unit 530 for 16 years.
Awesome view of the river and the marina.
Here's the master bedroom in the 1,700-square-foot condo.
A guest room
Here is the entrance area in The Cunningham, which used to house the restaurant called Crescent Moon. Located at 705 Market, it has been beautifully restored by our neighbors Lisa and Stuart Morrison. We live in the building next door and share a courtyard with the Morrisons.
The living room of The Cunningham
Stuart Morrison, a great neighbor. And great exposed brick in his condo, too!
This archway is a very cool feature of the condo.
Because there are a limited number of windows, the Morrisons have been very creative in adding light to their condo.
Lights are subtly hidden everywhere. It's a beautiful effect. (But hard to photograph.)
The vanity in the master bath is stunning.
Although The Cunningham is not the commercial enterprise that Cook Loft is, Stuart and Lisa do sometimes rent it out by the day or week. Click here to go to a website with rental info.
There, are you pooped? I was after touring all these great homes. I hope you decide to check downtown living out for yourself — in real life!
Great Recap Cynthia! City People couldn’t put the tour on without the fantastic home owners opening their doors and all our volunteers that guide the guests so the owners can also enjoy the tour. Great photos of the fabulous homes!
Katie P.
I can’t let Bruce see this, or we will be putting up the For Sale sign this weekend! Great tour of downtown living, Cynthia!
Katie: Everyone did a winderful job! It was so much fun.
Tami: We would love to have you and Bruce downtown! It would be a blast!
Those condos looked great, and yours, Gay”s and my condos weren’t even on the tour…!!! Great account of how nice it is to live downtown.
Monique
Monique: You are my number one example!
Cynthia I was so happy to see the Morrison condo that was the former home of The Crescent Moon. David and I have spent many Friday Night dinners there with friends as well as our 25th Wedding Anniversary Celebration. My Niece Debbie
Moon Shepherd was married there and my daughter had her wedding reception there. Very fond memories in that courtyard (would love to share some pictures with you) I am so happy that it is being used and enjoyed by someone that I know and love.
We’re a cult and we recruit…
I never tire of touring these places and seeing how everyone makes the space “home.”
Tami–I think it’s time for you and Bruce to put up the For Sale sign and join us. You know you’d love being able to walk to work, and Bruce might even be closer to the airport.
It’s nice to see Aki taking the place of Alan Carmichael in this blog.
All the residences look good. I have been in Stuart’s, and it is very nice.
Evelyn: What sweet memories you have of Crescent Moon! We loved that little restaurant, too. There is no place just like it. I think of it as a cross betweem Bistro on Gay and Tomato Head. Do you agree?
Gay: We are a cult! Enjoyed touring with you and Bill.
Alan: Haha. Very funny. Not!
Beautiful marketing job, Cynthia! So glad to have the tour even though I couldn’t take it in person.
Melinda: Careful! We recruit! We might have our sights set on you & Milt.
Actually Crescent Moon was way better than Tomato Head which was its little sister or Bistro. Crescent Moon was farm to table cooking before it became popular. The bread was even baked from scratch. And soup stocks that were out of this world. Best was the courtyard and the sense of niche it provided. Sad to say that the location turned into condos killed it. Though, it would be very hard to sleep at night with all those festivities going on under the window. Crescent Moon was Knoxville when it was young, raw, and experimental. A great legacy.
Crescent Moon was a wonderful spot, John. But I do love Bistro and Tomato Head, as well. Both do a great job with healthy and sustainable food.
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