There is great excitement this year as alumni of Knoxville High School celebrate the building’s 100th anniversary. Opened in 1910, Knoxville High School’s Neoclassical design with Beaux Arts influences is an icon for the generations of Knoxvillians who walked its halls, including James Agee, Patricia Neal and John Cullum. Designed by the local firm Baumann Brothers and a part of the Emory Place National Register District, it was the first school to serve the whites throughout the city and was the only public high school for whites for many years. At the end of the 1950-1951 school year Knoxville High was closed and converted into administrative offices for the Knoxville Board of Education. Today it is owned by the Knox County School System.
Knoxville High School is showing signs of stress and deterioration due to years of deferred maintenance. Years of tight school budgets have required the Knox County School Board to make tough choices and, of course, the priority must be the classroom. However, it’s time to take a fresh look at historic buildings owned by local governments and devise a new strategy for preserving the historic buildings owned by taxpayers. Knox Heritage looks forward to working with the Knox County School System to devise a plan for preserving our community’s heritage while being good stewards of these valuable assets.