The Future Use of Chilhowee Park Shared at Public Meeting, Wednesday Oct. 16
KNOXVILLE, TN (Oct 15, 2019) A public meeting regarding the future use of Chilhowee Park and Exposition Center will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the park at the Jacob Building. The attendance of stakeholders and concerned community members is encouraged.
A team of consultants will present its recommendations on ways to better utilize the 81-acre park, from input and analyses gathered over the past nine months, of the park’s many potentials for use.
Chilhowee Park and Exposition Center serves as home to the Tennessee Valley Fair each fall and to The Muse and Golden Gloves Charities year-round. Adjacent to Chilhowee Park is the 53-acre Zoo Knoxville, the city’s top attraction, which welcomed 512,112 visitors in 2018 and set a new attendance record for the fourth consecutive year.
The consulting team was led by Convention Sports and Leisure International (CSL) and included local firms: Design Innovation Architects and CRJA Landscape Architects as well as Sizemore Group, Atlanta-based strategic planners.
The consulting team met in February with tenants and stakeholders and held a community meeting. Existing facilities were thoroughly reviewed, and historic uses of buildings and the grounds were studied. About 2,000 people then completed online surveys in June.
The aim was to analyze the current uses of Chilhowee Park and existing market conditions, then to develop a strategic business and facility plan.
• View the RFP for Chilhowee Park & Exhibition Center Master Plan Development [PDF] (file also contains addendums and tabulation sheet)
Chilhowee Park and Exposition Center is located at 3301 E Magnolia Ave, Knoxville, TN 37914.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or LEP (Limited English Proficient) and want to request interpretation services, please contact Title VI Coordinator Tatia M. Harris at tharris@knoxvilletn.gov or 865-215-2831. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend, contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Stephanie Brewer Cook, at 865-215-2034 or scook@knoxvilletn.gov at least 72 hours before the meeting.
The Appalachian Exposition of 1910 exhibits at the fairgrounds were housed in separate buildings. The Black Department was in the Negro Building that was erected by HBCU Knoxville College students with the assistance of members of the local black community where the progress of African-Americans was presented to visitors. By separating the Women’s and African American departments from the rest of the fair, boundaries were reinforced. But members of each group viewed their exhibits as significant boosts to their collective self-worth.
