page_title: Gay Street (Knoxville)
section_title: Gay Street Commercial Historic District
hierarchical_section_title: Gay Street (Knoxville) / Gay Street Commercial Historic District
caption_attribution_description: English: The Knoxville Journal Arcade, built in 1924, at 618-620 S. Gay Street in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. This building once housed the offices of the Knoxville Journal.
context_page_description: Gay Street is a street in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, that traverses the heart of the city's downtown area. Since its development in the 1790s, Gay Street has served as the city's principal financial and commercial thoroughfare, and has played a primary role in the city's historical and cultural development. The street contains Knoxville's largest office buildings and oldest commercial structures. Several buildings on Gay Street have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  Part of Charles McClung's original 1791 plat of Knoxville, Gay Street was a focal point for the early political activity of both the city as well as the State of Tennessee. By 1850, Gay Street was home to three-fourths of Knoxville's commercial activity, and in 1854, the street became Knoxville's first paved road. On the eve of the Civil War, Gay Street was the site of simultaneous Union and Confederate recruiting rallies. After the war, Gay Street saw extensive commercial development as railroad construction brought an industrial boom to Knoxville.
context_section_description: The Gay Street Commercial Historic District, added to the National Register in 1986, originally consisting of 35 buildings constructed circa 1880—1940 along Gay Street and adjacent side streets.  The buildings range from 1890s-era wholesaling outlets to 1930s-era movie theaters.  One of the buildings listed, the Fouche Block, was demolished in 1993.  Another listing, the Hope Clock, was moved to West Knoxville in 2004, and was replaced by a new street clock in 2007.  One notable non-contributing building is the 1905 Miller's building, which was not included due to extensive exterior modifications which have since been removed.
  The Southern Terminal and most of Gay Street's 100 block were listed on the National Register as contributing properties within the Southern Terminal and Warehouses Historic District.  The Andrew Johnson Hotel, the Bijou Theatre (listed as the Lamar House Hotel), and the Knox County Courthouse were all listed individually.  Notable contributing properties in the Gay Street Commercial Historic District include:
  Century Building (312 South Gay), a five-story Victorian Vernacular structure built in 1898.  This building is sometimes called the Haynes-Henson Building after its long-time occupant, the Haynes-Henson Shoe Company.
  McNulty Building (402 South Gay), a four-story Vernacular Commercial structure built in 1898, and named for its original occupant, McNulty Grocery and Dry Goods Company.  This building is currently home to a branch of the Mast General Store.
  Gay Theater (403 South Gay), a two-story Colonial Revival-style building constructed in 1910.  This building is currently home to the Lerner Lofts condominiums.
  Kress Building (417-421 South Gay), a four-story Art Deco-style structure built in 1925.
  Woodruff Building (424 South Gay), a five-story Classical Revival-style building constructed in 1905 for the hardware firm, W. W. Woodruff and Company.  Woodruff's original building at this site burned in the "Million Dollar Fire" of 1897. In 1904, a dynamite explosion ripped off the facade of the second building. This building is currently home to a restaurant, the Downtown Grill and Brewery.
  Arnold, Henegar, Doyle and Company Building (428 South Gay), a five-story Victorian Commercial and Romanesque Revival-style building constructed in 1898.  Arnold, Henegar, Doyle and Company was a late-19th century boot and shoe wholesaler.  This building is currently home to Sapphire, a restaurant.
  Sanford, Chamberlain and Albers Company Building (430 South Gay), a three-story Vernacular Commercial-style building constructed in 1870 and modified circa 1920.  The building was initially home to the drug company Sanford, Chamberlain and Albers, and later home to Szabo's tailor shop.  The building is now a mixed-use building which houses one restaurant, Five Bar, and several apartments.  It has since been renamed Tailor Lofts.
  Fidelity Building (500-504 South Gay), a four-story Italianate building constructed in 1871, and renovated by the architectural firm Baumann and Baumann in 1929.  This building was initially home to the wholesaling firm, Cowan, McClung and Company.
  Riviera Theatre (510 South Gay), a two-story Art Deco-style theater constructed in 1920. The building was remodeled in 2007.
  S & W Cafeteria (516-518 South Gay), a two-story Art Deco-style building constructed in 1937.
  Athletic House (520 South Gay), a two-story Vernacular Commercial building constructed in 1923.
  Central House Hotel (522 South Gay), a three-story Italianate building constructed in 1875.
  Farragut Hotel (526-530 South Gay), a nine-story building with Beaux-Arts elements, constructed in 1919. The Farragut replaced the Imperial Hotel, which burned in 1916.  This building is currently a condominium, and its ground floor is occupied by a restaurant, the French Market.
  The Holston (531 South Gay), a 14-story Neoclassical-style building constructed 1912-1913 for the Holston National Bank.  This building is now a condominium.
  Tennessee Theatre, or the Burwell Building (600 South Gay), a 12-story Spanish/Moorish-style building constructed
caption: The Journal Arcade (618 South Gay), built in 1924
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