The Tennessee Amphitheater, also known as the World's Fair Park Amphitheater, is an open-air amphitheater located in the 1982 World's Fair Park, Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Tennessee Amphitheater, also known as the World's Fair Park Amphitheater, is an open-air amphitheater located in the 1982 World's Fair Park, Knoxville, Tennessee.
The Tennessee Amphitheater was built for 1982 World's Fair [1] and was designed by structural engineer Horst Berger, part of McCarty Bullock and Holsaple, architects of Knoxville (led by architect Bruce McCarty, the Master Architect of the 1982 World's Fair), and Geiger Berger, structural engineers of New York City. Berger was known for his work with tensile architecture, and the architectural design of the amphitheater is notable for the tensile fabric membranes that hover over the theater. [2] [3] The amphitheater has played host to a wide range of concerts, including classical music, [4] country music (e.g., The Aldridge Sisters), [5] blues (e.g., Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown), [6] and rock bands (e.g., Weezer [7] and Widespread Panic). [8] Together with the Sunsphere, the 1400-seat amphitheater is one of only two structures that remain from the 1982 World's Fair. [9]
The amphitheater was condemned to demolition in 2002 [10] but was renovated between 2005 and 2007, reopening in 2007 with then-Mayor Bill Haslam's inaugural address for his second term. [11] 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, [12] and since its reopening in 2007, the amphitheater continues to be used for concerts (e.g., Logan Brill [13] ) and by arts organizations in Knoxville, including the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, [14] Knoxville Opera [15] and the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble. [16]
Knoxville is a city in, and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of July 1, 2019, Knoxville's population was 187,603, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division, and the state’s overall third largest city after Nashville and Memphis. Knoxville is the principal city of the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 869,046 in 2019.
The 1982 World's Fair, formally known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. The specialized exposition themed "Energy Turns the World," was recognized by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).
The Sunsphere, located in World’s Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, is a 266 ft (81 m) high hexagonal steel truss structure, topped with a 75 ft (23 m) gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair.
Jacob Franklin Butcher was an American banker and politician. He built a financial empire in East Tennessee and was the Democratic Party nominee for governor of Tennessee in 1978. He was also the primary promoter of the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, and lost his business and his personal fortune after he was found to have engaged in bank fraud.
The Lawson McGhee Library is the main library of Knox County Public Library in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is located at 500 West Church Avenue in downtown Knoxville.
The James Park House is a historic house located at 422 West Cumberland Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. The house's foundation was built by Governor John Sevier in the 1790s, and the house itself was built by Knoxville merchant and mayor, James Park (1770–1853), in 1812, making it the second-oldest building in Downtown Knoxville after Blount Mansion. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and currently serves as the headquarters for the Gulf and Ohio Railways.
Chilhowee Park is a public park, fairgrounds and exhibition venue in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located off Magnolia Avenue in East Knoxville. Developed in the late 19th century, the park is home to the Tennessee Valley Fair and hosts several dozen expositions annually. The park covers 81 acres (33 ha), and includes a 57,100-square-foot (5,300 m2) exposition center, a 1910-era bandstand, a 4,500-seat amphitheater, and a 3-acre (1.2 ha) lake, Lake Ottosee. The park is also home to The Muse Knoxville, a children's science museum formerly known as the East Tennessee Discovery Center.
The National Conservation Exposition was an exposition held in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, between September 1, 1913 and November 1, 1913. The exposition celebrated the cause of bringing national attention to conservation activities, especially in the Southeastern United States. The fair was held in what is now Knoxville's Chilhowee Park in East Knoxville.
The Knoxville City-County Building is a building at 400 Main Street in Knoxville, Tennessee that houses the offices of the city government of Knoxville and the county government of Knox County, Tennessee. It also houses the Knox County Jail. The building stands ten stories, and contains 534,000 square feet (49,600 m2) of office space. At the time it was built it was said to be the largest office building in Tennessee.
Bruce McCarty, FAIA was an American architect, founder and senior designer at McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects of Knoxville, Tennessee. During a career that has spanned more than a half-century, he designed some of the city's iconic landmarks, and was the city's most dedicated champion of Modern architecture. Buildings designed or co-designed by McCarty include the Lawson McGhee Library, Knoxville City County Building, University of Tennessee Humanities Complex, Clarence Brown Theatre, and University of Tennessee Art and Architecture Building. McCarty was also the Master Architect for the 1982 World's Fair.
BarberMcMurry, formerly Barber & McMurry, is an architecture firm based in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. Founded in 1915 by Charles Irving Barber (1887–1962) and Benjamin Franklin McMurry, Sr. (1885–1969), the firm designed dozens of notable houses, churches, schools, and public facilities in Knoxville and the surrounding region in the early 20th century, several of which have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In recent decades, the firm has expanded its focus to include larger-scale projects, such as hospitals, stadiums and retail complexes.
Richard Franklin Graf (1863–1940) was an American architect active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee and the vicinity in the early 20th century. His works include Stratford Mansion (1910), Sterchi Building (1921), St. John's Lutheran Church (1913), and the Journal Arcade (1924). His home, the Prairie School-inspired Graf House, is considered Knoxville's first modern home. Several buildings designed by Graf have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is a cathedral and parish church located in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It is the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville. The original cathedral church was completed in 1956 and the present church was completed in 2018.
The East Tennessee Community Design Center, founded in 1970, is an organization who offers design and planning assistance to communities and organizations throughout 16 counties of East Tennessee. The Community Design Center offers its services through the pro bono contributions of area architects, landscape architects, planners and other professionals. It is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and is registered as a nonprofit corporation chartered as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization under IRS regulations.
The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center is a private non-profit museum located in Townsend, Tennessee, United States, near the city's entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Its mission is to preserve the heritage and culture of the inhabitants of the Great Smoky Mountains, including both the region's Native American inhabitants and the pioneers and residents of the region's Appalachian communities. The center was organized in the early 2000s, and officially opened in February 2006.
Cumberland Estates is a residential neighborhood in the City of Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, which gained national attention for architectural innovation and research housing in the mid-20th century. It began 2.1 miles outside the city limits, in Knox County, as one of many planned suburban neighborhoods in the post-World War II economic expansion. The development soon attracted an innovative young architect and national sponsors who would create new ways to rapidly and affordably fill the demand for residential housing needs for America’s growing population of families. Their prominent work in the neighborhood influenced the evolution of residential building design. While the attention received from the research homes waned in the last century, the neighborhood has maintained its residential character with few changes while avoiding commercial encroachment and blight.
World's Fair Park is a public park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. The park sits on the former fairgrounds of the 1982 World's Fair hosted in Knoxville. Today, the park is home to the Sunsphere and the Tennessee Amphitheater, the two remaining structures from the exposition.
The Appalachian Exposition, also known as the Appalachian Exhibition, was an event held in 1910 and 1911 in Knoxville, Tennessee's on property owned by Knoxville Railway and Light. The park grounds were 65 acres and included two lakes. The exhibitions demonstrated progress in Southern industry. Former president Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the 1910 exposition, and president William Howard Taft spoke in 1911.