Press release...

On Tuesday, December 2nd, Keep Knoxville Beautiful was joined by Sam Venable and Mayor Madeline Rogero at the 33rd annual Orchids Beautification Awards. The 36 nominees for the award made judging difficult, but with the assistance of the East Tennessee Community Design Center, the winners in the various categories really stood out. Overall, 12 awards were given out to properties that exemplified beauty in architecture; landscaping; reuse; and historical preservation in our community. These winners include:

(Press release with list of winners continues after the break...)

Provision Center for Proton Therapy won an Orchid for New Architecture.

The building’s entrance is surrounded by beautiful foliage that welcomes patients into a calming, luscious space for treatment. In addition, KCDC's Five Points Revitalization project captured an Orchid for New Architecture. Since 2009, KCDC has been revitalizing the Five Points Community. In the second phase, three community meetings were held to assess the needs of potential residents, and a series of exterior designs were created to fit a neighborhood context. A total of 17 single and multi-family homes were constructed—all are Energy Star Certified. This revitalization rid the area of blighted properties, filled empty lots, and provided bright, clean spaces for Knoxville families to call home which reenergizes the surrounding community.

Sometimes buildings like cats have multiple lives. The Cherokee Health Systems Fifth Avenue Clinic won an Orchid for Redesign/Reuse when it took an existing, nondescript building in a blighted, but resurgent, area near Broadway/Central Avenue corridors, and transformed it into a beautiful property that serves an underserved population as an outpatient clinic. Gray Hodges completely overhauled its exterior and made the building something that draws positive attention and second glances. A business for home renovations since 1949, their own transformation makes this spot a refreshing, modern place to dream up a new room in your own residence. The gray exterior with white paneling brings new life to an established business and earned them an Orchid for Redesign/Reuse.

The awards for Landscaping were awarded to the 400 and 500 Block of North Gay Street and High Ground Park. The City of Knoxville completed streetscape work on Gay Street from historic Gay Street Bridge over the Tennessee River to the street’s northern end at Emory Place. The work included one lane of traffic in each direction, with street parking, new landscaping, including both canopy trees and flowering trees. This beautiful spot located in the heart of downtown offers community members and tourists alike a fresh glimpse of our beautiful city.The 34-acre High Ground Park, which includes the Civil War era Fort Higley, is one of the newest Knoxville parks. Union troops built the earthworks during the Siege of Knoxville in 1863 and the park preserves historical rifle trenches. A beautiful gravel path leads visitors through natural landscaping and dramatic view of the great Smoky Mountains, downtown, and many other Knoxville landmarks.

Knox Area Rescue Ministry earned a Site Enhancement Orchid for its recently added much-needed outdoor pavilion and courtyard at their facility, which works to provide direct relief to the fluctuated homeless population in Knoxville. This beautiful haven provides a safe resting place for those in need. The facility includes restrooms, seating, shaded areas from lush trees, bag storage and even a concession stand.

With such a rich history, it is no wonder that there were three awards for Historic Preservation. Tailor Lofts, which dates back to the late 1800s and is the oldest building on the block of Gay Street was given the first award in this category. The building was initially home to the drug company Sanford, Chamberlain and Albers. With renovation and construction complete, there are a total of nine residential units, one commercial space and stunning original details that survived a fire in 1897. Some elaborate plaster work and a translucent-glass transform this space into something truly marvelous. Historic Westwood which has been a staple on Kingston Pike for over a century was awarded the second Orchid. This beautifully restored historic home built in the Queen Anne style of brick and stone is located at the edge of Sequoyah Hills overlooking the growing Knoxville community. Also known as the Adelia Armstrong Lutz House, the house was built in 1890 by John Lutz and his wife, artist Adelia Armstrong Lutz. In 2012, the house with help from the Aslan Foundation, Brewer Ingram Fuller Architects and Johnson and Galyon contractors, restored the house and transferred it to Knox Heritage to use for its offices. Finally, the Medical Arts Building which was originally built in 1932, won. Its terra cotta buttresses, pointed arches, and brass double-doors are just some of the many Gothic Revival architectural features that define this striking building in Knoxville’s cityscape. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places

The Butterfly Award is given to a property that has undergone a complete renovation from something once looked over, unattractive into a new beautiful place which steals second glances. This award went to the 1320-1328 N. Broadway Building which will hopefully serve as an anchor to the 4th and Gill neighborhood. It attracted a local coffee shop and additional vendors and craftsman are slated to occupy space soon. The building was in severe disrepair, including broken windows and a leaking roof and is now completely transformed into a favorite local hotspot.

The Evergreen Award goes to properties that won an Orchid Award at least ten years ago and whose property continues to exude beauty in our community. Mayor Madeline Rogero presented the award to Greystone House. Construction of this home began in 1885 by Major Eldad Cicero Camp. Architects designed the mansion in the Richardson Romanesque style with two and a half stories, and a three-story tower in the front. The exterior of the home is sheathed in stone from a quarry in Lake City, Tennessee. The home contains elaborate hand-carved mantels from France and each room is paneled in a different type of wood. The heads of windows include stained glass panels, and 22 different types of marble are used in the house. It now houses the studios and offices of WATE-TV.

Keep Knoxville Beautiful is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is only able to accomplish its mission with the help of volunteers. One last award was given to an outstanding member of KKB's Green Mile Program. Green Miles encourages a healthy body and a healthy community by removing litter while walking, running, or dog walking in member's local neighborhoods. Matt Sellers removed over 80 bags of litter on his almost 90 Green Miles this past year. Sellers truly left green miles behind him with every step.

About Keep Knoxville Beautiful

Keep Knoxville Beautiful is a nonprofit affiliate of Keep America Beautiful founded in 1978. Originally formed to help "clean up" prior to the 1982 World’s Fair, KKB plunged into community efforts to clean and beautify the community. Other Keep Knoxville Beautiful programs include The Orchids Beautification Awards, the Great American Cleanup™, Green Miles and more. To find out more about Keep Knoxville Beautiful or how you can get involved, visit KeepKnoxvilleBeautiful.org and follow @KnoxBeautiful on Twitter.