Medical Arts Building (Knoxville, Tennessee) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Medical Arts Building
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Medical Arts Building, viewed from the southeast
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| Location | 603 Main Street Knoxville, Tennessee |
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| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1929–1931 |
| Architect | Manley and Young |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84003573 |
| Added to NRHP | May 24, 1984 |
The Medical Arts Building is a tall office building located at 603 Main Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It was finished in 1931. This 10-story building was first used by doctors and dentists. At that time, people thought it was the "best equipped" medical building in the South. The building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical building. It is a great example of Gothic Revival style. Recently, it has been updated for homes and other uses.
History of the Building
The land where the Medical Arts Building stands was once outside the first map of Knoxville. But it became part of the city by 1795.
In the early 1900s, many doctors had offices nearby. After World War I, a large house called the James Park House became a clinic. This was because so many doctors worked in the area.
Around the late 1920s, a well-known doctor named Herbert Acuff (1886–1951) saw a need. He wanted a more modern building for medical offices. He gathered some investors and bought the land. Construction on the Medical Arts Building began in 1929. It was designed by the Manley and Young company from Lexington, Kentucky. The building was completed in 1931.
In the 1930s, Dr. Acuff's investment company faced financial trouble. The Medical Arts Building was then sold to the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Over the years, the first floor of the building has had different businesses. These included a bank, a drug store, and a restaurant.
In 1981, a developer named Kristopher Kendrick bought the building. He then sold it in 1983 to the Medical Arts Building Association. This group updated the building for modern office spaces.
Building Design
The Medical Arts Building is located at the corner of Main and Locust streets. It has an attached three-story garage that goes all the way to Cumberland Avenue. A parking lot is on its west side, and the Knoxville Post Office is across Locust Street to the east.
The east (Locust) and south (Main) sides of the building are decorated. They have special terra cotta pieces and dark green panels. Terra cotta is a type of baked clay. A terra cotta cornice goes around the top of the building. A cornice is a decorative molding.
The entrances on Main and Locust streets are also decorated with terra cotta. They have buttresses, which are supports that stick out from the wall. They also have pointed arches. The brass double-doors are next to transoms. These are windows above a door. They have Gothic tracery, which are decorative patterns.
The garage entrance on Locust Street has a Tudor arch. This is a flattened pointed arch. Inside, the first floor has marble floors and walls. The hallways on the upper floors have marble wainscoting. Wainscoting is wood paneling on the lower part of a wall.
