Image: Tennessee Amphitheater, World’s Fair Park, Knoxville, TN - 52473476511

Description: Built for the 1982 World’s Fair, this structure was designed by Horst Berger and McCarty Bullock and Holsaple Architects, and features seating for 1400 spectators, with the stage of the amphitheater backing up to the adjacent artificial pond on the fairgrounds. The design of the structure’s roof utilizes tensile fabric membranes, a type of structural system pioneered by Horst Berger, which was contemporaneously utilized on the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota, gracefully floats above the seating area, with a separate shade structure covering the stage, supported by a more conventional steel structure. Despite its cultural significance as a performance venue that has hosted many notable bands, and architectural significance as a great example of a tensile fabric roof system, the structure was proposed for demolition in 2002, but thanks to public outcry, was instead renovated between 2005 and 2007, with the amphitheater continuing to host live performances.
Title: Tennessee Amphitheater, World’s Fair Park, Knoxville, TN - 52473476511
Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/59081381@N03/52473476511/
Author: w_lemay
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes