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Former Brownlow School May Soon Become Condos
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By: Michael Silence, News-Sentinel staff writer* 02/11/2002 Built nearly 90 years ago as one of Knox County's first
"modern" schools, a North Knoxville landmark could soon be home to
some upscale condominiums. The old Brownlow Elementary School, which served
thousands of students during its 1913 to 1995 service life, will be sold for
$200,000 to a group of developers if the deal is approved by Knox County
Commission later this month. Local developer David Dewhirst and some out-of-state
partners propose remodeling the interior to create a couple of dozen
residential loft apartments. In a proposal to the county, Dewhirst and his partners
say they will also do some exterior restoration consistent with the U.S.
Department of the Interior's Historic Preservation guidelines. That exterior work will include restoring some windows
and a complete building faade. They said in their proposal that no new
exterior attachments would be added. Some neighbors are hopeful of the potential of the
project but guarded about some of the details. "I think it is too dense, and I am not particularly
happy they're developing units in the gym. That should be left as communal
space. Parking is an issue, too," said Dwight Guinn of the Old North
Knoxville Neighborhood Association. Guinn served on a neighborhood review
committee, including representatives from Park City and Fourth and Gill, which
reviewed proposals for the old school. "I don't want to be totally negative, either. In my
opinion it certainly has some potential. I just think they're trying to
squeeze too much into too little," Guinn added. The developers' proposal originally called for 28 one-
and two- bedroom units, but they scaled that back to 24 or 26 to assuage
neighborhood concerns. Dewhirst said if commission approves the sale, work on
the project would begin as soon as possible and the goal would be to have the
building mostly occupied by the end of the year. The units are still in the early planning stages, but he
estimated monthly lease prices would range from $650 to $1,000. Dewhirst is proposing the project, along with his
partners in Mainstream Development Group, John O'Donnell, Adam Cohen, Stacey
Dulin and GossPiercyGoss Architecture of Knoxville. They expect to invest about $2.5 million into the
building, which was used in the 1999 film "October Sky," based on
Homer Hickam, Jr.'s book about growing up in West Virginia and eventually
becoming a NASA scientist. Built in 1913 in Colonial Revival style, the structure
was one of the area's first modern schools in that it featured multiple
classrooms, indoor plumping, rest rooms and other amenities not often found in
most school buildings of the day. Enrollment during its heyday around 300 students. The school was named for Col. John Bell Brownlow, son of
former Tennessee Gov. William Gallaway Brownlow. John Brownlow fought with the
Union in the Civil War and later established a successful real estate business
in Knoxville. His firm played a role in the development of the neighborhoods
surrounding the school. Brownlow School closed in 1995 when some of the smaller
elementary schools were consolidated into the new Christenberry Elementary
School. Michael Silence may be reached at 865-342-6310 or silence@knews.com
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