Fourth and Gill

The Fourth and Gill neighborhood is located between Fifth Avenue, Broadway, Central Avenue Pike, and Interstate 40. This is a beautiful neighborhood with lots of potential that is conveniently located near the downtown area as well as the University of Tennessee campus. The houses here are mostly historical homes built in the late nineteenth century, when this area was a growing and expanding middle class neighborhood. Today, the Fourth and Gill neighborhood still holds the majority of these one hundred year old plus homes, although many of them are in dire need of being renovated. The Fourth and Gill neighborhood is known as a Historical District due to the homes here.

After the Civil War, there was rapid growth seen in the Knoxville area, which brought about the housing boom to the Fourth and Gill neighborhood, which was actually developed to provide housing for workers and managers for the increasing number of mills and factories in the area. The Fourth and Gill neighborhood was annexed by the City of Knoxville in 1897. The industrial growth is responsible for bringing not only labor, but for the increasing need of new housing into the Fourth and Gill neighborhood.

The Fourth and Gill neighborhood can be located quite easily with Interstate 40 on the east, Broadway on the west, Glenwood Avenue to the north, and East Fourth Avenue to the south. Just to the north is the Old North Knoxville community, while the Parkridge community sits on the other side of Hall of Fame Drive to the east, and the Emory Place Historic District lies just to the south.

The historic Fourth and Gill neighborhood sits just to the east of Knoxvilles Broadway Ave. The neighborhood is located in North Knoxville, adjacent to Historic Old North Knoxville (HONK).
The houses are mostly older, Victorian-style homes that have been converted into apartments. There are plenty of houses not adjusted into an apartment setting, as well. And the size ranges from smaller, one-bedroom homes to large, multi-story homes.
The homes in the area are older, being at least 50+ years old and often predating that as well, which is a large part of its charm. The area seems to be populated mostly by 20-something renters, not by many homeowners. Its well-known throughout Knoxville that rent for these properties is relatively cheap, bringing in a lot of the younger crowd.
Broadway Ave. provides the Fourth and Gill area with easy access to shopping, groceries, and other necessities. Although theres a highway on the east side of the area, its often under construction, as is much of the area, which often looks run down.
The North Knoxville area is also laid out poorly, with roads changing name at random and running at strange angles. The easiest way to get to a major interstate takes quite some time, making a trip to other regions of the city difficult.
However, the area is only a 5-10 minute drive into the heart of downtown Knoxville.

An amazing neighborhood when you think about what it once looked like in years gone by! Some of the homes have been beautifully and painstakingly renovated and brought back to their former glory and can be rather pricey to purchase. Other homes are waiting to be snatched up in this down economy and made into glorious homes. The neighborhood is on the National Historic Registry and Historic Homes Tour and if you are up to touring some of these homes, you will see the amazing woodwork and artistry lost in today's typical homes. Sidewalks, beautiful homes, and historic churches make this a beautiful neighborhood! As with any urban neighborhood, parking can be a hassle, so walking or biking is a good alternative. As far as things to do, you won't be disappointed. There is the Upper Creek First Greenway. In the center of the Greenway is a loop trail by the creek for walking, rollerblading, and biking. There are plans to connect this Greenway to Caswell park in the near future. If you are into history, the Old Gray Cemetery is a beautiful park like area lots of people like to visit to see the Victorian headstones and huge monuments and even some nameless markers among the big oak trees. For the cooks, health conscious, and food connoisseurs alike, there is the Three Rivers Market. A natural foods market, locally owned, offering locally grown and prepared, organic food. From chocolate, coffee, breads, herbs, fruits, vegetables, milk, and cheese to medicinal herbs and spices they have a great selection of good food. Fourth and Gill is a great neighborhood to live in and a great place to relax and play too.

I love to drive around Knoxville and check out neighborhoods. I recently stumbled across the area around Fourth and Gill and I honestly liked what I saw - well, the POTENTIAL in what I saw anyway. You can see what the neighborhood once was and what it is trying to be (and could be) again. It is good to see a neighborhood that is trying to recapture what it once was.

It seems like every other house is different. At one time this neighborhood had really been something. You can tell by the large old homes that line Gill street. Quite a few of them have been restored to their previous grandeur. Still, there are a lot that remain abandoned and in need of repair. This is a great neighborhood for someone who wants to buy an inexpensive home and really put in the hard work to bring the home back.

The more I drove down Gill, the more I could see what could be. There are a few businesses to the east and west, but this is mostly a residential area within the city. A lot of the houses have the potential to be income homes which really helps pay for renovations in a down economy.

As I drove down Gill I found Scrappin In The City. At first I thought it was a scrap metal place because of its name. I was delighted to discover that it was a scrapbook store. This is just the kind of business that will attract families back to Fourth and Gill. It is actually housed in one of the old grand houses I was talking about.

I hope to return to Fourth and Gill and see more renovated homes. I hope this community can reach the potential that I know it has.