Knoxville is truly abuzz about Beauford!
Around the same time the University of Tennessee Knoxville announced its intent to acquire the Beauford Delaney archive, faithful readers of this blog who reside in Knoxville informed me of impending construction of a multipurpose building that will be named after him. It will be part of a project to construct a new baseball stadium in East Knoxville, in an area formerly occupied by black residents and destroyed during the "Urban Renewal" projects of 1959-1974.
I contacted BarberMcMurry, the architectural firm that is undertaking the project, to ask for an exclusive interview. Heather N. Beck, Communications Manager and Senior Associate of the firm, sent me this reply in response to my questions:From the beginning of this project — which includes the development of a multipurpose baseball and soccer stadium and several surrounding residential and multi-use buildings — the owner and project team have made a concerted effort to honor the history and legacy of the location, which, prior to urban renewal, was comprised primarily of Black neighborhoods. Part of that effort includes finding ways within the project to honor former Knoxville Negro League baseball players as well as the residents of the homes that once stood near the site, including the original family home of Beauford Delaney.
The owner and project team have worked closely with community representatives, the Knox Area Urban League, and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center — a community outreach center and museum dedicated to African-American history in East Tennessee — throughout the project to appropriately reflect the history of the site. Working with them, the decision was made to name the first residential building of the development after Beauford Delaney.
This decision was unanimous among the building owner, project team, and community representatives and stakeholders. No other name was considered.
The new building does not yet have an address, and decisions about the precise signage, interior décor, and building opening ceremony (if any) have not yet been made. This project has not yet entered construction.
(BarberMcMurry Architects + Design Innovation Architects)
(BarberMcMurry Architects + Design Innovation Architects)
(BarberMcMurry Architects + Design Innovation Architects)
The Beauford Delaney building will have nine stories. It will house 35 to 45 condos, dedicate two floors to communal spaces for socializing, and include underground parking for residents as well as restaurant, retail and commercial space on the first floor. The fifth through ninth floors will offer a view of home plate at the new stadium.
The building will be constructed roughly a block away from the first home that the Delaney family owned prior to Urban Renewal.
Image from KnoxNews.com Archive
The project is expected to be completed in early 2024.
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