11th Street Espresso House R.I.P.
Submitted by michael kaplan on Tue, 2009/07/21 - 2:48pm

What was once the 11th Street Espresso House, this Victorian house on the edge of World's Fair Park has been "newly renovated" into a 5-bedroom house and available for purchase from its owners, Kinsey Probasco Hays, at $359,900. An internet search turned up this tribute:

"11th street is a great place to sit alone and drink coffee and have a tasty, healthy sandwich, or meet up with a dozen freaks on certain nights. There is always interesting art displayed in the beautiful Victorian-era house located on the site of the 1982 World's Fair. The owner is charming and loving and welcomes people from any walk .."

The house was sold to KPH by the city in 2005 for $30,797.

The green house next door, once a crafts gallery, is available for $375,000.

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J's picture

I think they're a bit crazy

Submitted by J (not verified) on Thu, 2009/07/23 - 11:13pm.

I think they're a bit crazy of they think those houses are worth that. Sure, they're nice but as others have pointed out, the community isn't there. Sad to see the Coffee House go.

michael kaplan's picture

if they go for that price,

Submitted by michael kaplan on Fri, 2009/07/24 - 12:39pm.

if they go for that price, it's likely for commercial use. they'd make nice offices, hotel rooms or beds/breakfast. hey, they could become the convention center hotel ...

bill young's picture

devolpment

Submitted by bill young on Wed, 2009/07/22 - 1:28pm.

My vision would be to devolope residential on both sides of what
was once 10th Street.North of the museum & the 7 houses.

Also condos in the L&N building.

Devolope smart parking:

Underneath for the new devoplopment.

For the Candy Factory residents & those attending
events @ the museum parking garage between the
Candy Factory & the museum.

Plant trees where parking for Candy Factory residents
is now.

Make the 1st floor of the Candy Factory into a
grocery store/pharmacy serving downtown & Fair site residents.
Of course the Candy shop remains.

Downtown residents would connect to the store thru the 42 bus
line.

The Butcher Shop would be the maintinace/office for the property.

If there are enough elementary school age children,downtown,
in the Fort & on the Fair site put a charter elementary school
in the Foundry.

It would be done by the 50th anniversy of the Fair.

bill young's picture

I've changed my mind a few times on the 7 houses

Submitted by bill young on Tue, 2009/07/21 - 6:22pm.

All those years ago Mark Siegle & his band of merry pranksters
fought to preserve the 7 houses.

At first, I thought festive retail,the term used back then for Fair site devolopment,was the way to go.

Put upscale dress shops,mens shops,children shops,shoe stores in the 7 houses.

Didn't work out.

As the years past,I thought an art colony with coffee shops
& bookstores was the way to go for the 7 houses.

Didn't work out.

I now believe it's a good thing the 7 houses,built around
hundred years ago,are being returned to their orginal purpose.

People's homes.

Hopefully,the 3rd times the charm for devoloping the 7 houses
& when the 50th anniversery of the World's Fair rolls around
the 7 houses are in a vibrant neighborhood.

michael kaplan's picture

Seven isolated houses don't

Submitted by michael kaplan on Tue, 2009/07/21 - 9:40pm.

Seven isolated houses don't make a vibrant residential neighborhood. The Victorians are separated from Fort Sanders by a rather unfriendly edge along 11th Street and and from the park by a steep hill along World's Fair Drive. That street itself contains only two buildings: the Knoxville Museum of Art which closes at 5 pm (except Fridays) and a residential condo (the Candy Factory) that generates little pedestrian traffic.

Furthermore, the sale of these houses doesn't preclude their use as game-day or rental-by-room residences which, again, doesn't necessarily produce a vibrant neighborhood. Their use as commercial property might, however, make a difference.

The 11th Street Espresso House was a thriving business serving the university community and others who considered it a "third place." Subsidized by the city with its below-market rent, there were issues of poor maintenance that could easily have been overcome had the city been intent on developing and promoting the area.

bizgrrl's picture

Thanks for the update. I

Submitted by bizgrrl on Tue, 2009/07/21 - 4:00pm.

Thanks for the update. I drove by those houses the other day and wondered what had become of them. I'm still a little steamed that these houses and the Candy Factory were changed to residential. I always thought the more places to visit around the fair site the better. Ah, what did I know.

michael kaplan's picture

As we argued at the time,

Submitted by michael kaplan on Tue, 2009/07/21 - 5:56pm.

As we argued at the time, the properties at the edge of World Fair Park should have stayed in the public domain. Imagine the Candy Factory, renovated, as a new central library, and the gently restored Victorians as galleries and shops. Together with the museum, it would all add up to a wonderfully vital arts district, somewhat removed from the commercial bustle of Gay Street but still close enough to downtown to be conveniently accessible.

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