Scenic Drive Area of Sequoyah Hills Neighborhood
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Designation Report and Design Guidelines Scenic Drive Area of Sequoyah Hills Neighborhood Neighborhood Conservation Overlay (NC-1) Adopted by: Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission on January 19, 2006 Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission on July 13, 2006 Knoxville City Council on September 26, 2006 Acknowledgements The Designation Report and Design guidelines for the Scenic Drive Area of Sequoyah Hills Neighborhood were prepared with a great deal of assistance and cooperation from the residents of the owners. Of special assistance in this process were Nancy Bills, Lisa Gammeltoft, Kirby Bell, Robin Porter, and Kaye Stoneking. Photography was provided by the Kingston Pike/Sequoyah Hills Neighborhood Association. MPC staff involved in the preparation of this document included: Mark Donaldson, Executive Director Buz Johnson, Deputy Director Ann Bennett, Senior Planner Tim Kuhn, GIS Administrator Sarah Powell, Graphic Designer Table of Contents District Map ..................................................................................4 Introduction .................................................................................. 5 Statement of Signifi cance ............................................................5 Architectural Descriptions .......................................................... 8 Design Guidelines ........................................................................9 Guidelines Governing New Construction ............................... 11 Guidelines Governing Demolition ............................................14 Suggestions for Enhancing the Scenic Drive District .............15 List of Contributing and Non-contributing Properties ............17 Scenic Drive Neighborhood 1 inch equals 500 feet 0500250 Feet Conservation (NC-1) District Print Date: October 30, 2006 DR F D O OO R-2 R TILLW LILLY WAY E S S T S G E THIST L 424 LE Q WOOD WAY E U N O D R-1/NC-1 Y R R-1 428 A H HILL PL WOOD G 4 A 33 R K D I N E 438 G N S S T W O N A Y P A R-1 C-6 R K R-1/NC-1 D D ANTEE ELLWOOD R 516 51 L AH TRL 5 KINGSTON PIKE PARK DR 522 52 DR 3 KINGSTON 538 R-1/NC-1 611 NOELTON DR N TOWA DA TRL GLENFIELD DR 634 R-1 R-1/NC-1 642 IR AWATHA DR C HI A W KENILWORTH DR PE IP H C 715 R-1/NC-1 SHAWNEE LN 720 R-1 EUTAW PL 726 OAKHURST D R 805 MELLEN AVE R-1 AVISTAWAY LT A 525 W 901 814 INDG R-1 ATE ST 19 916 9 R-1/NC-1 R DLN 4 A D 2 GNA DR 92 A R GWOO 9 ISK R DO C O I 5 W 937 N CIA RD H E AGWADR E VALEN C 934 S A S D BL 951 T O 942 R W L 1003 S 950 F E R 006 R 1 Y 18 1029 R 10 SOUTHGA D 024 1039 1 0 C 4 957 ALUMET DR 10 TE RD 5 B 106 L R-1/NC-1 U FF VIEW R-1 079 1 1074 RD 5 HOLLOWAY DR 0 11 R-1 1111 710 9 1 11 R-1/NC-1 OW AVE 800 1132 CEDA TL WHI 8 AVE 05 RH IL KEOWEE NAV L RD R-1 CHOCTA AHO OS-1 R F-1 WR D Neighborhood Conservation Overlay (NC-1) Designation Report And Design Guidelines Introduction Scenic Drive is a distinctive corridor in the Sequoyah for property in designated areas unless the application Hills neighborhood. The area included in the Scenic is accompanied by a Certifi cate of Appropriateness. To Drive section of the Sequoyah Hills Design Guidelines obtain a Certifi cate of Appropriateness, the property includes Scenic Drive, Southgate north of Sagwa owner should fi rst contact the Knoxville Historic Zoning and Blows Ferry south of Alta Vista. The area was Commission staff. Staff will review the application initially several different subdivisions which were and may issue a Certifi cate of Appropriateness, or developed beginning in the mid-1920’s. Although may refer the application to the Knoxville Historic the individual buildings along Scenic were developed Zoning Commission. In the case of new construction at different times, and refl ect some variations of primary buildings or demolition of all or part of in architecture, the buildings are unifi ed by the a contributing building, the review of the Knoxville overall setting, lot coverage, setbacks, roof shapes, Historic Zoning Commission is required. landscaping, and other design features that make them distinctive. The topographic relief along Scenic The Scenic Drive (Sequoyah Hills) Conservation Drive is very pronounced, making issues of drainage District will be asked to appoint a contact person and lot coverage particularly important; these design who is available to consult with the Historic Zoning guidelines refl ect that concern. In addition, the heavily Commission on applications for properties included in forested and park like appearance of the neighborhood the district. The responsibility of the contact person is: is a hallmark of Earle S. Draper, the pioneering 1. to provide information about the district to the landscape architect who designed Sequoyah Hills Historic Zoning Commission, and and other prominent neighborhoods throughout the 2. to offer neighborhood opinions about applications country. Lawns, plantings, and semi-wooded areas are for Certifi cates of Appropriateness. essential to maintaining this appearance. They are the unifying factors that tie this district together. Asphalt and concrete detract from this appearance. Statement Of Significance The purpose of the Neighborhood Conservation Scenic Drive is a main entrance into Sequoyah Overlay (NC-1) for the Scenic Drive corridor of Hills. Until about 1920, it was known as Logan Road. Sequoyah Hills is to maintain the setting of the Sequoyah Hills and other properties in East Tennessee area, minimizing changes to the neighborhood, its were ceded to the United States in 1791. architectural heritage and its setting. In 1796, land near the Tennessee River was Design guidelines do not regulate how a designated transferred by a “Deed of Indenture” from Robert property may be used; regulation of use is a function King of Hawkins County to Moses Looney, Sr. for of the Knoxville Zoning Ordinance. The guidelines 115 British pounds. At the time of transfer, Looney are also limited in their application, applying only to was purchasing about 500 acres along the Holston 1) the addition of space to an existing building, 2) the River. King had acquired the property as a land grant construction of new buildings, or 3) the demolition of from the state of North Carolina, but there is no existing buildings. evidence that King ever lived on the property. When he acquired King’s 500 acres, Looney also received a When property owners plan to make an addition to grant from North Carolina for an additional 200 acres. existing buildings, construct new buildings or demolish all or part of existing buildings, they must apply to the Looney sold the northern portion of the property Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission for a Certifi cate along Scenic to Christian Rhodes in 1798; it was then of Appropriateness. No building permits can be issued transferred to James and William Park in 1804. 5 Scenic Drive Area Of Sequoyah Hills Neighborhood James Park bought his brother William’s share in by his mother, Julia Elizabeth Bates Towle; he farmed 1814. Park’s son-in-law George White, a grandson of the land until he sold it to N. E. Logan in 1923. Mr. Knoxville founder James White, married Sophia Moody Logan, who was a prominent developer, never lived on Park and built a white frame house in the vicinity of Scenic Drive. He sold the property to W. R. Bradley in Woodhill Drive. Remnants of the barn foundation 1923. that accompanied that house can still be seen at the southwest corner of present-day 538 Scenic. Much of Moses Looney (1750-1817) retained the acreage on this portion of the property was sold to the Knoxville the west end of Scenic at the southern end of Blow’s Real Estate Company in 1887. Ferry and the northern end of Southgate Road. Looney’s sons Absalom and Alexander, inherited The west side of Scenic near Kingston Pike was the property from their father. One of the sons sold purchased by Drury Armstrong from Hanna-Poindexter 129 acres to Andrew and Sinia Zachary Sharp about of Baltimore, Maryland in 1846 and given to Robert 1850. Pauline Sharp, daughter of Andrew and Sinai, Houston Armstrong. Hanna-Poindexter had purchased married Captain Jacob Lonas in 1871. Lonas bought part of the property from James Park in 1842; he acquired the interests of the other Sharp heirs and on May 6, some of the property from Christian Rhodes and Thomas 1890. the Lonas’ sold their property along the river (129 Brown. Most of the property was purchased by the acres) to Francis Huger. Knoxville Real Estate Company in 1887. Huger was Superintendent for the East Tennessee, The oldest house still standing in Sequoyah Hills, at Virginia and Georgia Railroad. Acting as trustee for 715 Scenic Drive, was part of the Armstrong property. other investors he purchased a total of 452 acres with It is thought to have been built in the mid to late 1850s, the intent of moving a steel mill from New Jersey probably as a tenant house. The 23 acre tract that and locating it on the property in order to develop included this house changed ownership several times. more business for the railroad. The 1893 depression Allen Johnson (1808-1898) and his family lived in a diminished the demand for steel and the assets of the larger house, adjacent to 715 Scenic, that was known as railroad were taken by the Southern Railroad in 1894, the plantation. That house was passed to his son, John and the acreage was divided between investors by L. Johnson (1840-1925) who was married to Moses court order in 1908, with three tracts (and eventually Looney’s daughter, Nancy.