Gay Street

Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee 

Since the development of  Gay Street in the 1790s, Gay Street has served as the city's principal financial and commercial thoroughfare.  It has played a primary role in the city's historical and cultural development.  The first paved street contains Knoxville's largest office buildings and oldest commerical structures.  Several buildings on the street have been listed on the Historic Register of Historic Places.

The Gay Street Commerical 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 ranged from 1890s-era wholesale outlets to 1930s-era movie theaters such as the Gay Theatre, the Bijou Theatre, the Riviera Theatre and the Tennessee Theatre.

Kress Building

417 Gay Street

Circa 1937

The former Kress building has a 8,000 square foot ground-floor footprint. At one point in the early mid-1900s, S.H. Kress & Company operated more than 250 department stores in the southern and western United States.  In 1925, they added a Knoxville location, putting up a three-story building plus a basement at 417 S. Gay.  Knoxville's Kress business has been gone for decades, but the building itself has remained a vital historical and architectural landmark on the downtown landscape.  Now the structure is finding new life as a multi-purpose development thanks to a local developer who purchased the property in 2020.  

Bijou Theatre

803 S. Gay Street

The Bijou was added to the National Register of Historic Places December 4, 1975.

The theatre opened on March 8, 1909 and over the next four decades would host performers such as the Marx Brothers, Dizzy Gillespie, John Philip Sousa, Ethel Barrymore, Houdini and others.  After a period of decline in the 1960s and early 1970s, local preservationists purchased the building and renovated the theatre.

The Bijou Theatre building consists of two parts, the original hotel section completed in 1817 and the rear theatre section built in 1909.  The theatre has a capacity of approximately 700 with two balcony levels.  There are two loggia levels and three box levels on each side of the building.  The stage is 35 feet deep and 69 feet wide. 

The Bijou orchestra floor, boxes and stage viewed from the upper right loggia.

 Sunsphere

Knoxville, Tennessee 

Completed in 1981 at a cost of $3.7 million. 

The Sunsphere's reflection in World's Fair Park

October 6, 2017

The name "Sunsphere" for the structure in Knoxville was derived from its design and the theme of the 1982 World's Fair for which it was built.  The golden orb atop the tower was meant to represent the sun and the energy of the sun.  The original base of the structure was blue to blend with the sky, further reinforcing the solar theme. 

The Sunsphere is a 266 foot tall hexagonal steel truss structure located in World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville.  It is topped with the 75 foot gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the World's Fair.  Directly across a man-made pond from the Tennessee Amphitheater.  They are the only remaining structures from the fair. 

The Tennessee Amphitheater

The 1,400-seat amphitheater was designed by structural engineer Horst Berger and Geiger Berger, engineers of New York City.  They were known for their work with tensile architecture and the artchitectural design of the amphitheater is notable for the tensile fabric membranes that hover over the theatre.  

The amphitheater was condemmed to demolition in 2002, but was renovated between 2005 and 2007, reopening in 2007.  The amphitheater was voted one of the top 15 architectural works of East Tennessee by the East Tennessee chapter of the American Institute of Architects.  Since its reopening, the amphitheater continues to be used for concerts including the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Opera and the Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble. 

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lucas Richman performing at the  annual Independence Day concert on the south lawn of the World's Fair Park for the City of Knoxville's Festival on the Fourth.

July 4, 2011

The Sunsphere under construction

View from the Top

Photo Credit to Ron Plasencia

Photo taken at twilight, merging three separate exposures to create a high dynamic range image.  

"The lighted fountain caught my eye, so I walked around to find the best angle to capture it.  This one has become my favorite image of Knoxville."

Ron Plasencia

Knoxville at Night

Knoxville News-Sentinel

May 1, 1982

Opening Ceremonies at the World's Fair

May 1, 1982

The World's Fair theme was "Energy Turns the World".

Dinah Shore, Governor Lamar Alexander, President Ronald Reagan and Jake Butcher

May 1, 1982

The Rule High School Marching Band marches in Knoxville one year to the date of the opening of the World's Fair.

May 1, 1981

The World's Fair Construction Site 

December 13, 1981

Postcards from the World's Fair

Charles and Helen Hutchinson of Cincinnati, Ohio were the 11th millionth visitors to the World's Fair.  Helping celebrate the occasion are World's Fair Commissioner General Dortch Oldham, Knoxville International Energy Exposition President "Bo" Roberts, Jr. and World's Fair Board of Directors Chairman Jake Butcher.  

October 30, 1982

Singer-actor, the late Kenny Rogers in town to promote the opening of his new movie "Six Pack" took time out on July 6, 1982 to survey the World's Fair from the top of the United States Pavilion in Knoxville.  With him was his wife Marianne Gordon, a regular, at the time, on the popular television series, "Hee Haw".  

The United States Pavilion pictured at the World's Fair near the Amphitheater.

May 2, 1982

An aerial view of the World's Fair Site

The Strohaus (formerly The Foundry)

October 2, 1982

Musician and singer, Glen Campbell taped a television show during the World's Fair at the Strohaus.

May 3, 1982

Knoxville's Rick Kuhlman and a handful of partners resurrected World's Fair Beer for the 35th anniversary of the 1982 World's Fair.  

An aerial view of the Sunsphere and World's Fair

May 2, 2019

Allie Clouse jumps in front of the Sunsphere at the World's Fair

May 21, 2019

 

The Roanoke Star

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Mill Mountain

2000 Fishburn Parkway SE

Roanoke, Virginia

At 8:22 p.m. on November 23, 1949 on a chilly Thanksgiving Eve Roanoke Mayor, A R. Minton threw a switch and illuminated the Roanoke Star for the first time. At that moment, Roanoke earned the nickname, "Star of the South" and the star has been a part of the landscape of Mill Mountain ever since.  

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Why was the "Star" constructed in the first place?  The purpose for erecting the star was to serve as a seasonal, Christmas decoration to shine over the city during the brisk holiday shopping season of 1949.  The project was sponsored by the Roanoke Merchants Association.  The original plan was to dismantle the star when the holiday season ended.  John Payne, a Roanoke native and, at the time, a Hollywood leading man came to Roanoke to add his celebrity status to the formal lighting ceremony.  Less than 100 braved the cold night to stand under the star as it was switched on. Payne had made the movie, Miracle on 34th Street in 1947 prior to the visit to his hometown. 

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John Payne with Edmund Gwenn and Maureen O'Hara

Miracle on 34th Street

Circa 1947

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Roy C. Kinsey, then owner of Kinsey Sign Co., built the Roanoke Star along with his three sons, Roy Jr., Bob and Warren.  Bob and Warren designed and built the 2,000 feet of neon tubing still used today. The "Star" is actually three stars.  A small star in the center, enveloped by a larger, mid-sized frame surrounded by the largest outer frame.  Each frame contains three to five sets of clear neon tubes.  

The Roanoke Star stands at 88.5 feet, weighs 10,000 pounds and requires 17,500 watts of power to illuminate. It is the world's largest iluminated man-made star.  As the largest, free-standing star in the world, the Roanoke Star is one of the most photographed attractions in the area.  The scenic overlook at the base of the structure is a popular stop for an incredible view of the region.  

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In 2024, the iconic Roanoke Star celebrated its 75th birthday.  It is illuminated each night until midnight. The height above the City of Roanoke is 1,847 feet. 

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Visibility from the air is 60 miles and several possible color combinations can illuminate the Star. 

The Roanoke Star is a symbol of the progressive spirit of Roanoke.  

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Circus Parade Day! .. in Baraboo!

This year, the Big Top Parade will be held on Flag Day Saturday, June 14 2025.

11:00 a.m.

Baraboo is most often known as "Circus City" for several reasons and not just for the fact the Ringling Brothers called Baraboo home and had their original winter quarters here through 1918. In 1884, the young Ringling Brothers gave their first official circus performance in Baraboo, Wisconsin .. and the rest is history!  .. Ringling history!

Guests at the Al Ringling Mansion can view the parade from the home's historial veranda.