Becoming a Part of History at Downtown’s Phoenix Building

Friday, August 28th, 2020

According to Knoxville historian Jack Neely, the Phoenix building on Gay Street is full of historical events that scream, “Tell me more!” Former owners include colorful characters like a former Confederate POW and an FBI agent, while the property itself was the site of the first baseball game in the area as well as the site of Victorian-era circuses. And, of course, it’s got its own folklore — legend has it that a rare white mule that was part of a traveling circus passed away on the property, its death bringing about some less-than-fortunate luck. It burned down twice — once during Knoxville’s “million dollar fire,” which destroyed an entire block of Gay Street in 1897, and again in the 1990s, when the top two floors burned down during renovations. A new set of developers purchased the building and aptly named it “The Phoenix,” after the mythological bird that burns up and then rises again from the ashes. Little did they know that the building, prior to any of the fires or series of unfortunate events, already bore the name.

For the Love of History

The latest renovation to take place was recently completed by McCamy Construction on a 1,600 square foot loft. The homeowners love the historical significance of The Phoenix just as much as they love living downtown. An architect himself, one of the homeowners is also a board member of Knox Heritage, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the history of Knoxville’s oldest buildings. The homeowners downsized from a 3,700 square foot “starter castle” in the Farragut area to this much smaller loft home downtown. When their son graduated from college and moved away, they sold their home and began looking for their next adventure. While they looked far and wide, their love of history and architecture drew them to downtown Knoxville. “This building has a sense of place and history,” the homeowners said. “Farragut might be nice, but there’s not a lot of history there architecturally.” The first house the homeowners bought in Knoxville was built in 1939, and they were only the third owners. They redid the kitchen and completed a lot of the renovation work themselves. In fact, preserving and renewing historic properties is a theme in the homeowners’ lives.

A Mutual Respect for Historic Homes

The homeowners met McCamy’s Grant McMahan when they served together on the board of Rebuilding Together Knoxville, a nonprofit that does emergency home repairs for low income seniors, veterans and the disabled. They also knew him through his work on historic properties in Sequoyah Hills and other projects through Knox Heritage. Knowing his work ethic and dedication to detail and preservation, it was clear he was the man for the job, and he lived up to his reputation.

Since the homeowners’ new living quarters would be so much smaller than their previous one, one of the key elements of the project was maximizing every cubic foot of space. That meant moving a few walls, converting a half bath to a full bath, and updating the space while maintaining its historic integrity. When the top floors burned down in the 1990s, it damaged the plaster of the interior to the point that it couldn’t be saved. That was a blessing in disguise, resulting in 40 linear feet of gorgeous exposed brick that the homeowners highlighted with open shelving in the kitchen. The shelves are custom built and “spectacular,” according to the homeowners. The existing floors are still in place, along with the original sheetrock and 11-foot tall ceilings. McCamy’s Grant and Ashley helped them stay within their budget. “They were great to work with and came up with great solutions,” the homeowners said of the McCamy team. “We had champagne taste on a beer budget, and they were great about creating the look we were going for but that we could also afford.” The team effortlessly jumped through the hoops required by the city when it came to renovating a historic property. Residents live above the homeowners, while a commercial business is below them, so doing the work in a way that wouldn’t disturb those tenants was crucial. “In a six story building, you can’t just cut plumbing lines or cut the power off whenever you want,” the homeowner explained. There were a few challenges along the way. The floor the homeowners are on was originally a commercial floor, and their master bathroom was a commercial restroom. That meant there were two hot water sources in the unit, with one of them in the basement. “That wasn’t known until we started digging into the walls,” the homeowner said. There is a wall in the kitchen they were going to get rid of, only to find out that there were pipes going to the condo above them that were housed in that wall. So, it stayed! The homeowners found some reclaimed windows at Architectural Antics and repurposed them to bring light into the master bedrooms. The combination of historic, reclaimed and new elements within the condo creates a one-of-a-kind home that blends in beautifully with its surroundings.

Before

McCamy Construction is proud to be woven into the story of The Phoenix and truly loved every minute working on this special project. From home renovation to building a custom home, McCamy has the experience and expertise to match your lifestyle and vision. We take into account the way your life looks, feels, and functions to envision the smartest solutions to customize or renovate your home. If you’d like to see other inspiring projects we’re working on, you can find examples of the McCamy quality on our Facebook page, Instagram, or Houzz. If you’re considering renovating or building a custom-designed outdoor living space or home, we would love to talk with you. Schedule your consultation by filling out this form or give us a call at (865) 247-7068.