Knoxville High School was a public

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

, United States, that operated from 1910 to 1951, enrolling grades 10 to 12. Its building is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

in the

Emory Place Historic District The Emory Place Historic District is a historic district in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located just north of the city's downtown area. The district consists of several commercial, residential, religious, and public buildings that dev ...

, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The building was more recently used for

adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained educating activities in order to gain new knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralph G. ''The Pr ...

programs offered by

Knox County Schools Knox County Schools is the school district that operates all public schools in Knox County, Tennessee. History Before the 1987–1988 school year, the city of Knoxville and Knox County operated separate school districts. In that year the tw ...

.John Shearer
Historic Knoxville High Recognized for Classic Revival Detailing
''

Knoxville News Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', also known as ''Knox News'', is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: '' ...

'', May 28, 2010 The building is currently being converted into senior assisted livingStephanie Beecken,
Historic Knoxville High School on its way to becoming senior living facility

WATE WATE-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located in the Greystone mansion on North Broadway/ SR 33/ SR 71/US 441, and it ...

, April 30, 2016

History

The Knoxville High School building, located on East Fifth Avenue in Knoxville, was completed in 1910, enrolling male and female students who had previously attended separate high schools. W. J. Barton was the school's first

principal Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the head of a school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in the UK Civil Ser ...

. W. E. Evans served as principal from 1917 until the school closed in 1951. Enrollment grew to just over 2,000 in the early 1920s and reached a peak of about 2,300 around the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The school was known for many years as a school sports powerhouse, winning a total of 13 Tennessee state championships and six Southern championships in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

, as well as national championships in 1930 and 1937. By 1948, the building had become inadequate, and city schools Superintendent Tom Prince warned that the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools was threatening to strip Knoxville High's accreditation. In response, the city built three new schools: Fulton High School, West High School, East High School, and made improvements to South High School and Austin High. Knoxville High closed in 1951. After the school was closed, the city school district used the building for administrative offices. Following consolidation of the city and county schools, Knox County Schools has used the building for adult education.

Building

The original Knoxville High School building was designed in a

classical revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

style by Knoxville

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Albert Baumann Sr., who also designed the Knoxville Post Office and Federal Building, the

Andrew Johnson Hotel The Andrew Johnson Building is a high-rise building in the downtown core of Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1929 as the Andrew Johnson Hotel, at , it was Knoxville's tallest building for nearly half a century.Ronald Childress, ...

, and the Cherokee Country Club, as well as some of the city's early-20th-century

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

homes. The building was expanded in both 1914 and 1920 to accommodate increased enrollment. The building is included in the Emory Place Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1994. Knox Heritage, a local

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK) is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

organization, included it on its 2010 "Fragile Fifteen" list of endangered historic properties due to concerns about its ongoing maintenance. A

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

monument, erected in 1921, stands on the school's front lawn.

Conversion to Senior Housing

In 2015, Knoxville High went under renovation as Dover Development began the process of converting the former school building into a senior housing campus. The renovation took 3 years with the grand opening taking place in 2018.

Notable people

Mary S. Cummins Mary S. Cummins (, Slemons; 1854–1894) was a 19th-century American educator who was also the leader of various religious, social reform, and teachers' organizations. She served as president of the Synodical Missionary Society, the Montana State T ...

, principal and teacher at Knoxville High School

Notable alumni

Notable people who attended Knoxville High School include the following: *

James Agee James Rufus Agee ( ; November 27, 1909 – May 16, 1955) was an American novelist, journalist, poet, screenwriter and film critic. In the 1940s, writing for ''Time'', he was one of the most influential film critics in the United States. His autob ...

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning author of ''

A Death in the Family ''A Death in the Family'' is an autobiographical novel by James Agee. It was based on events which occurred to Agee in 1915, when his father went out of town to see his own father, who had suffered a heart attack. During the return trip, Agee's ...

''John Shearer
Famous alumni from Knoxville High School
''

'', May 28, 2010 *

Tommy Bartlett Thomson "Tommy" Bartlett (July 11, 1914 – September 6, 1998) was an American showman and entertainment mogul from Wisconsin. He is most often associated with the water skiing thrill show based in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, known as Tommy Bart ...

, collegiate athlete and coach in both basketball and tennis * Edward Boling, president of the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

from 1970 to 1986 * Harvey Broome, lawyer who helped to found the

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...

and is the namesake of the Knoxville chapter of the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

Hall of Fame Banquet
''

'', October 30, 2011. Page 8E. *

Clarence Brown Clarence Leon Brown (May 10, 1890 – August 17, 1987) was an American film director. Early life Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, to Larkin Harry Brown, a cotton manufacturer, and Katherine Ann Brown (née Gaw), Brown moved to Tennessee when h ...

, film director *

Mary Costa Mary Costa (born April 5, 1930) is an American retired actress and singer. Her most notable film credit is providing the voice of Princess Aurora in the 1959 Disney animated film ''Sleeping Beauty''. She is the last surviving voice actress of the ...

, professional opera singer and actress, who is best known for providing the voice of Princess Aurora in Walt Disney's

Sleeping Beauty (1959 film) ''Sleeping Beauty'' is a 1959 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. Based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale, the film follows Princess Aurora, who was ...

. *

Jerome Courtland Jerome Courtland (December 27, 1926 – March 1, 2012) was an American actor, director and producer. He acted in films in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, and in television in the 1950s and 1960s. Courtland also appeared on Broadway in the musical '' ...

, actor who starred in several Walt Disney films and shows *

John Cullum John Cullum (born March 2, 1930) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including '' Shenandoah'' (1975) and '' On the Twentieth Century'' (1978), winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in ...

, actor and singer * Charles "Chili" Dean, chairman of the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

board from 1988 to 1990 *

Roddie Edmonds Roderick Waring Edmonds (August 20, 1919 – August 8, 1985), known to the public as Roddie Edmonds, was a U.S. Army Infantry, infantryman renowned for his courageous stand during World War II. As the highest-ranking American non-commissioned of ...

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...

—

Master Sergeant A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries. Israel Defense Forces The (abbreviated "", master sergeant) is a non-commissioned officer () rank in the Israel Defense Force ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

who as a

POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...

saved more than 200 Jewish American soldiers * Norman C. Gaddis,

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

general who was a

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

Guilford Glazer Guilford Glazer (July 17, 1921 – December 23, 2014) was an American real estate developer and philanthropist. Early life Glazer was born to a Jewish immigrant familyDavid Madden, novelist. * Robert Monroe,

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

vice admiral who commanded the Atlantic fleet *

Patricia Neal Patricia Neal (born Patsy Louise Neal; January 20, 1926 – August 8, 2010) was an American actress of stage and screen. She is well known for, among other roles, playing World WarII widow Helen Benson in ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (195 ...

, award-winning actress * Sara O'Meara, actress and founder of the organization

Childhelp Childhelp is a US non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. Founded in 1959 as International Orphans, Inc. by Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson, Childhelp is one of the largest non-profit child abuse preven ...

Robert Rochelle Robert Rochelle (born November 25, 1945) is an American lawyer and former Democratic politician. He served as a member of the Tennessee Senate from 1982 to 2002. Early life Robert Rochelle was born on November 25, 1945, in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

, invented the

Vanguard satellite Project Vanguard was a program managed by the United States Navy Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into low Earth orbit using a Vanguard rocket as the launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral M ...

communications system *

Kyle Testerman Kyle Copenhaver Testerman (December 27, 1934 – April 11, 2015) was mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee from 1972 to 1975, and again from 1984 to 1987. Testerman was a Republican. He was the father of professional tennis player Ben Testerman. First ...

, mayor of Knoxville in the 1970s and 1980s * Pug Vaughan, football player * John Ward, longtime announcer for

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

football and basketball * Maurice F. Weisner, 4-star Admiral, Commander-in-Chief U.S. Pacific Forces

References

{{Authority control Schools in Knoxville, Tennessee Educational institutions established in 1910 Educational institutions disestablished in 1951 School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Defunct schools in Tennessee 1910 establishments in Tennessee Historic district contributing properties in Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Knoxville, Tennessee Neoclassical architecture in Tennessee