This circa 1945 building is the only remaining structure associated with Standard Knitting Mill. By the 1930’s Standard was the largest textile and knitting mill in Knoxville. It was founded in 1900 with 50 employees and over the years grew to employ over 4,000 Knoxvillians. Standard eventually produced over one million garments a week and inspired Knoxville’s title as “Underwear Capital of the World.”
The future is uncertain for Standard Knitting Mill. Located in the industrial swath of land between the historic Parkridge and Fourth and Gill Neighborhoods, the original portion of the mill was in place along Washington Avenue by 1903. Later additions almost doubled the size of the complex, but the earliest portion was destroyed in the early 1990s. The current footprint still comes in at over 400,000 square feet and was the home of Delta Apparel until 2007. As Delta made plans to relocate, The Landmark Group out of North Carolina appeared on the scene. The developer was interested in the Knoxville mill and proposed that Delta donate the mill, appraised at just over $2 million, to a non-profit organization in exchange for a charitable deduction equal to the value of the property. The non-profit could then sell the building to a developer. The Landmark Group planned to purchase the property from the non-profit and reportedly planned to spend up to $50 million creating a mixed-use development.
In June of 2007 Delta Apparel donated the mill and surrounding land to The Mid-Atlantic Foundation in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Since that transfer, the mill, a highly visible landmark along I-40 on the east side of downtown, has stood dark and empty. Back in the summer of 2007, there were no plans for the new owners to maintain the sprinkler system and the roof had already developed several leaks. The building is now for sale.
It's time for the owner and the community to ensure the future existence of Standard Knitting Mill. The Mid-Atlantic Foundation must secure the building immediately and make the sprinkler system operational. The City of Knoxville, KCDC and the Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership should step up to help market the site for redevelopment that preserves the building and complements the renaissance underway in the surrounding historic neighborhoods. The site is adjacent to the new Hall of Fame Drive, close to downtown and highly visible from the interstate. This makes for an attractive location and incentives already exist that can be utilized to spur its redevelopment.