Downtown mailbag: New Gay Street market brgg sodas, snacks, scratch-offs and smok

what is gay street in knoxville

“Y’all means ALL” urty of Taryn Ferro In 2012 the ternatnal LGBTQ Magaze The Advote listed Knoxville as the “8 th Gayt Cy Ameri”

Contents:

DID YOU KNOW THE 100 BLOCK OF GAY STREET WAS RAISED? TAKE AN UNRGROUND TOUR

* what is gay street in knoxville *

Sce the 1790s, Gay Street has played a primary role Knoxville’s historil and cultural velopment. Gay Street is home to art galleri, historic theaters, the East Tennsee History Center and more – wh many buildgs listed on the Natnal Register of Historic Plac.

Gay Street was the se of the 1796 Constutnal Conventn that rulted the foundg of the state of Tennsee, and was a fol pot for the early polil activy of both the cy and the state of Tennsee.

Y’ALL MEANS ALL – THE GAY SCENE KNOXVILLE

On the eve of the Civil War, Gay Street was the se of simultaneo Unn and Conferate recg ralli.

Durg the Civil War, Gay Street saw some early vlence, a fatal shootg of a Unnist monstrator, days after the firg on Ft. William Sanrs died as the rult of wounds the Lamar Hoe on Gay.

KNOXVILLE GAY BARS AND HOTELS

After the war, Gay Street saw extensive mercial velopment as railroad nstctn brought an dtrial boom to Knoxville. By 1850, Gay Street was home to three-fourths of Knoxville's mercial activy.

COULD REVELOPG GAY STREET'S 200 BLOCK CREATE A NEW DOWNTOWN KNOXVILLE DISTRICT?

In 1854, Gay Street beme Knoxville's first paved road. Almost all public visors to Knoxville ma an appearance on Gay Street. Durg the Civil War, Andrew Johnson was shot at when he gave a pro-Unn speech on Gay Street.

Others who were seen on Gay Street at one time or another were prohibnist Carrie Natn, Socialist ndidate Eugene V. One of Knoxville’s olst buildgs, the Lamar Hoe, now the ont portn of the Bijou Theatre, was operatg as a hotel facg Gay Street by 1817, when hosted a receptn for Gen.

Begng 1908, Gay Street beme the lotn of Knoxville’s first skyscrapers, steel-ame buildgs of 10 stor or more, begng wh the Burwell Buildg, followed by the taller Holston Buildg, and some years later the Andrew Johnson Hotel, which was for almost half a century the tallt buildg East Tennsee. From 1960 to 1963, Gay Street was the se of dozens of civil-rights monstratns, first s-s at all-whe lunch unters, then monstratns outsi the still-segregated movie theaters.

DOWNTOWN MAILBAG: NEW GAY STREET MARKET BRGG SODAS, SNACKS, SCRATCH-OFFS AND SMOK

Gay Street has also been the home of multiple partment stor, cludg Miller’s, which mataed a prence s origal bex-arts brick buildg on Gay for 70 years. It was home to the headquarters of furnure giant Sterchi Brothers, whose logo has bee a signature of the Gay Street skyle, and today is one of downtown’s largt and most popular rintial buildgs.

GAY STREET

Gay Street has always been home to Knoxville’s ft theatr. In 1872, Swiss immigrant Peter Stb pleted his grand Stb’s Opera Hoe, facg Gay Street.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* WHAT IS GAY STREET IN KNOXVILLE

Gay Street - Knoxville History Project.

TOP