The Furnace
In the late 1800s, the bottom level of the Emporium Center on Gay St. served as the location for the building’s furnace. More than a century and a quarter later, that floor’s purpose is being completely reimagined, and the result is also likely to generate some heat, particularly in the local performing arts community.
When completed, The Furnace (a nod to the subterranean level’s early days) will make its debut as a 200- to 250-seat venue that’s accessible by music, theater and dance organizations throughout the area. But it will do more than add functionality to the already arts-focused Emporium Center. It will give downtown visitors one more reason to explore a once neglected but now increasingly popular corner.
(Renderings courtesy of MHM)
“We were anticipating the number of people that would be walking by the building when the new baseball stadium opened, and it seemed terrible to waste an opportunity to activate that space,” says Liza Zenni, executive director of the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville. “Having more foot traffic there will discourage crime and provide connectivity between the main level of Gay Street and The Old City.”
She adds that some 10,000 to 14,000 people are expected to attend events there each year, generating more than a million dollars in net related spending for neighboring businesses. The payroll for The Furnace employees is expected to be around $300,000 in the first year alone, which will also contribute to the local economy. The total price tag for the project is $3.5 million.
The Furnace will, of course, address several specific needs of the local arts community as well. Zenni says, for example, that successful acts that weren’t quite ready to fill the Bijou Theatre or Tennessee Theatre were calling for intermediate-sized rooms in which to perform. The Furnace will hit that sweet spot while also serving as an exhibition space for art installations and immersive-art shows like the touring Van Gogh experience.
The theater, which will be accessible via Jackson Avenue street level, will consist primarily of a main performance space, complemented by a lobby area, restrooms, storage areas and dressing rooms.
According to Chad Boetger of McCarty Holsapple McCarty Architects, The Furnace is a special project that promises to have a big impact on downtown.
“It’s such a unique space already with its existing brick and industrial character,” he says. “We’re trying to celebrate all that while also juxtaposing the old with new elements.”
From an architectural standpoint, challenges have included working around and with 100-year-old materials and construction techniques.
“It’s a robust structure, and it’s in great shape. It has a lot of character,” Boetger adds. “The Furnace will be a nice feature for the building and the whole community.”
Beginning in 2006, the bottom level of the Emporium Center provided storage for downtown residents and rehearsal rooms for dance groups and other performers. All that was destroyed by flooding, however, in 2020. Then local arts leaders began to envision something new for the space.
“We started talking with McCarty Holsapple McCarty about transforming it,” Zenni says. “Chad helped us out by crafting concept drawings, which we used to raise money.”
Funding for The Furnace was made possible by the City of Knoxville, Knox County, the State of Tennessee and contributions from the Downtown Knoxville Alliance and Visit Knoxville.
Boetger says the design firm worked collaboratively with the Arts & Cultural Alliance to help it realize its vision.
“It has been a team effort on the part of McCarty Holsapple McCarty to provide the design services for this project,” he says. “We had a great team in the studio as well as outside consultants contributing to this amazing design.”
Christopoulos & Kennedy Construction is the contractor tasked with translating the designs into a finished product.
Learn more about other recent projects contributing to the growth of Downtown Knoxville.