KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Nearly two decades after fire wiped out the McClung Warehouses, Knoxville residents will soon get their first full look at what could rise on the empty stretch of West Jackson Avenue.
The City of Knoxville and Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, known as KCDC, will hold a public preview from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30, at The Standard, 416 W. Jackson Ave. That building faces the vacant warehouse land, which spans the 400 and 500 blocks of the avenue, and renderings and site plans will be on display.
Visitors will also be able to meet the team chosen to design and build the project. KCDC put out a request for qualifications for a master developer early in 2025 and then asked the qualified firms to submit proposals.
The property covers about 3.4 acres in a long, narrow strip. KCDC leaders see it as a chance for a walkable mixed-use project close to the Old City, Market Square, World’s Fair Park and Covenant Health Park.
Residents have already weighed in. In-person sessions and online surveys drew roughly 300 participants, and a public meeting on Nov. 16, 2023, set goals that included mixed-income housing, commercial or public space, walking and biking links and enough parking.
The first McClung buildings, also called the Philco Warehouses, went up in 1893 to stock hardware stores around the region. A wind-driven fire before dawn on Feb. 7, 2007, destroyed them. According to the city, crews battled the blaze for close to seven hours, several firefighters suffered injuries and a falling wall flattened one of the fire engines. What was left had to be torn down.
KCDC serves as the city’s redevelopment agency and has led projects at World’s Fair Park, Gay Street, the South Waterfront, Market Square and the former St. Mary’s Hospital site.
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