The Medical Arts Building
First Presbyterian Church,
Please let the decision makers at the church know that their decision to demolish the building is a tragic mistake. I was told they are demolishing it for the younger members of the church. Let the younger members go check out the view from the top floor and see if they still want to tear it down.
The Medical Arts building constructed in 1929, designed by Architect RH Hunt, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is truly a national treasure. All of RH Hunt’s buildings are listed as a group on the National Register.
The James Building at 735 Broad St. was renovated in 1984. It was a major undertaking to convert from small offices to more modern open office plans. The Hamilton County Courthouse, also designed by Hunt, has been renovated over the years to adapt to changing needs of Hamilton County. The downtown Post office, currently the Federal Courthouse, has been on a list to replace, mainly due to accessibility issues. Memorial Auditorium, designed by Hunt, continues to provide entertainment enjoyed by everyone in the city. Hunt’s St. Johns Building at the corner of Market and King Streets built in 1915, was renovated from 1998 to 2002 to house commercial space on the first and second floors and apartments on the third and fourth floors. The apartments in the 1200 block of Market Street were instrumental in getting housing restarted in downtown Chattanooga. Unum renovated the Louise Terrace Apartments in 1996 on Walnut Street to house employees who can walk to work. Getting people living downtown is what has transformed our city into a thriving place to live and work. It is hard to imagine our city with all of these Historic Building demolished so it could look more like Brainerd Road.
All of our historic buildings contribute to the character of our city. It is imperative that we preserve our historic buildings for future generations. We are all on this earth for a short while, however historic buildings represent valuable natural resources assembled by previous generations and should not be discarded simply because they need repurposing.
I urge the Church to save the Medical Arts building; its Art Deco exterior cannot be replaced by modern construction techniques. The concrete frame building is not only fireproof but represents a time when art and architecture had a symbiotic relationship. The demolition of such a structure would be a tragic loss for future generations. If the church cannot use the space then you should sell it to someone who would convert it into housing for students of UTC.
Thomas Johnson
Architect
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I want to second Thomas Johnson’s appeal to not demolish the Medical Arts Building. Our city must stop erasing our cultural heritage.
The decision to demolish the President’s Home to expand the UTC School of Business shocked and saddened me. As I learned more about that decision I came not to agree with the decision to demolish it but to understand the benefits of doing so. Demolition was a rational decision. It neglected one important principle: legacy.
Have we become a society that no longer reveres the contributions of our ancestors? For me this includes not only the patron, institution, lender, architect and builder. It’s the mason, ironworker, carpenter, rigger, plumber, electrician, sheet metal worker and all the hundreds of people that collaborated and worked together to make something of value that transcends the current cost of the work.
When I arrived in Chattanooga 29 years ago I found a community that embraced excellence in planning and design, sustainability in the environment and development, and a remarkable cohesion within the community following what I considered best practices. To me as a new arrival, I perceived it as a community where principles informed decisions. Now I perceive that decisions are made primarily based on cost benefits.
The Medical Arts Building can be repurposed. Adaptive reuse as housing or dormitories is simply obvious. When my firm was asked last year to compile a list of excellent candidates for conversion to housing Medical Arts was a prime example.
I have tried to understand the reason the Presbyterian Church needs a cleared site for their desired functions. Considering the tower only occupies 20 percent of the over half acre property I don’t see why church functions and a repurposed tower can’t coexist.
Perhaps there exists some truly onerous flaw in the building, environmentally or structurally that demands demolition to protect the community. Otherwise, I consider demolition a terrible lost opportunity to preserve a lovely building, enrich the neighborhood, and meet the needs of the congregation.
Craig Kronenberg
Founding Partner
HK Architects
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I agree with Thomas Johnson and Craig Kronenberg.
The proposed demolition of The Medical Art's Building is short sighted. I think First Presbyterian would welcome a meeting with Thomas Johnson and Craig Kronenberg.
I would also add Bob Franklin to this conversation. He has archived the R.H. Hunt drawings in his possession. And, is passionate about preservation.
Greg Ross
The Medical Arts Building