Blog: Safety Complex Updates

Week 31: Check Out the New Views

Until recent weeks, the vacated St. Mary's Hospital campus in North Knoxville was a dense maze of red brick add-on buildings - some outdated and without a practical reuse, others awaiting some TLC and a second life.

But with the demolition of several defunct hospital wings, the look and feel of the City's upcoming Public Safety Complex is emerging.

The stately 1929 Building, the original hospital with marble accents, is now proudly free-standing and visible from different vantage points.

The same is true of the Magdalen Clarke Tower, being repurposed by Lincoln Memorial University for use as classrooms.

Check out these photos:

Looking north from Huron Street: With the demolition of the Central Wing, patient tower and Annunciation Wing, the original St. Mary's Hospital 1929 Building and Magdalen Clarke Tower are now more visible as the former hospital campus is opened up.

Here's the opposite view, looking south toward Huron Street. At left is the white Central Wing Annex, which is being repurposed to house City Pension System and Police Department offices.

The newly opened-up central area, next to the 1929 Building, will be remade into an entrance to the Public Safety Complex. Some parking will be added, but a landscaped green space also will be planted.

This week on the construction site, Renascent crews will be working on West Wing demolition.

Meanwhile, Messer Construction workers have exposed and verified the configuration of the foundations of the 1929 Building. It's part of the construction team's efforts to protect and shore up as necessary the iconic historic structure.

Crews have exposed and verified the shape of the foundations of the 1929 Building.

Crews have exposed and verified the shape of the foundations of the 1929 Building.

Posted by evreeland On 15 October, 2020 at 2:22 PM