Historic Zoning Commission
Ft. Sanders NC-1: Level IV
5-Q-18-HZ
Staff Recommendation
Staff supports the expansion of the Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center as a priority for the overall community; however, MPC recommends that Covenant Health continue to co-operate with the documentation of this important site that was first supported in 2008 by Max Shell, a Covenant Health representative, and allow archaeological research (i.e. monitoring during removal of the houses from the property) and additional needed investigations as determined by a professional archaeologist, so that any important Civil War data discovered at the site can be scientifically recovered and preserved.
Applicant Request
Level IV. Demolition of contributing structure
Other: Relocation or DemolitionDemolish house to construct a parking garage expansion for Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center (FSRMC).
Site Info
Queen Anne with Eastlake influence (1895)Two-story frame wth weatherboard wallcovering, hip roof with cross gables, front gablet with sunburst pattern flanked by sawn brackets. Two-story cut-away bay at front gable featuring fishscale shingles surrounding wood-louvered dentiled attic vent. Two-story three-quarter front porch with sawn-wood arched railing at second-level porch, square wood columns with unusual curvilinear sawn brackets. Pented roof projection supported by scrolled brackets on first-level. First and second levels are differentiated with beltcourses. Two-over-two double-hung wood windows and half-light paneled front entry (currently boarded). Brick foundation. Two interior offset brick chimney stacks, one rear and one front side (currently missing). Irregular plan. This original decorative elements of this house reflect a George Barber influence. (Contributing)
1) The Fort Sanders Neighborhood Conservation Overlay (NC-1) was approved by City Council on September 13, 2000. The house located at 1810 Highland Avenue is a contributing structure within both the Fort Sanders Neighborhood Conservation Overlay and the Fort Sanders National Register District designated in 1980.
2) The Fort Sanders Neighborhood Plan, unanimously adopted by City Council in May 2002, includes a Land Use and Development Plan, a map that delineates appropriate types of development for each block of the neighborhood. The plan also contains a "Core Area Conservation Plan," including a proposed map of the currently adopted Neighborhood Conservation Overlay (NC-1) district. The plan recommends low-medium residential density for the subject parcel.
3) A report on research begun in 2008 by professional archaeologist Dr. Charles H. Faulkner and his wife, Terry, on Civil War Fort Sanders was submitted to MPC staff in 2016. This report indicates there are significant Civil War archaeological remains located on the property at Highland Avenue and Eighteenth Street and that the property contains the only documented unmodified land surface that exists in the area of the 1863 Battle of Fort Sanders site. This report was submitted to MPC as reference material for staff to consider when making recommendations for the property in the future. (Tennessee State Archaeological Site Number, 40KN333).
4) Based on the Knox County Property Assessor's Ownership records, the Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center (FSRMC) has owned the property since February 15, 2008.
5) The property was occupied at the time of the FSRMC purchase, but has since been vacant.
6) The original decorative elements of this house reflect a George Barber influence; however, the original porch posts, balustrade, and chimney stack are missing. The window and door openings of the house are boarded, so it is not known if these are intact.
7) As of December 2013, the house did not qualify for the City's demolition-by-neglect process; however, it did exhibit minor violations of peeling paint and deteriorated siding according to City Public Services. The house is currently in poor condition.
