Marble Alley

The previous stops on the Downtown Home Tour were old properties that were redeveloped in the early 2000s. After many of the old buildings were put back to use, the focus turned to redeveloping vacant lots. Marble Alley Lofts opened in 2016 with 248 units, which was one of the largest residential projects at the time. It takes its name from the alley that bisected the site (see image 4 - Sanborn Map from 1903). The site once contained a white school (Hampton Sidney Public School), a black school (Austin Public School), and a black church (AME Church). South of the Austin School on the S. Central St. side was The Bowery, which contained saloons and bordellos. Eventually the site became owned by Knox County and in 1999 the site was razed to become a justice center, which never materialized (see image 5 - KGIS aerial photo from 1998-2001). #downtownknoxville #knoxvilletn