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The Regal Riviera 8 Theater opened one year ago this month (August 2007) in Knoxville's downtown. I'm happy to report that it is doing well, drawing customers not only to the theater itself, but to Knoxville's other downtown establishments. Regal Entertainment, which operates over 550 theaters in 39 states, is headquartered in Knoxville. While most of Regal's new theaters are larger and placed in suburban areas, the company responded to the public and private support for a downtown theater, the smallest and one of few downtown theaters it has built in recent years. Besides the company's commitment to its hometown, the historic importance of the actual site must have been an influence!


Photo by Michael Wender.

Located on Gay Street, the new Riviera "is on the same site as the original Riviera Theater established in 1920." While the original theater, which closed 32 years ago, first featured silent films, such as DeMille's Conrad in Search of His Youth and the works of Charlie Chaplan, over the next 40 years it would go on to show movies such as Charade and Gone with the Wind. In addition, "Like most theaters, the Riviera featured its share of live entertainment, from dancer Ginger Rogers to early jazz bands like the popular local orchestra Maynard Baird’s Southland Serenaders." After a 1963 fire and subsequent restoration, the original theater underwent many tough years of changed ownership and failed efforts. Finally, the building was torn down in the late 1980s and converted to a parking lot. As part of the city's revitalization movement, several local leaders decided to push for a new Riviera. Two years and $14.85 million in public and private funding made the decision a reality. Today's Riviera features first-run releases and offers over "2,000 seats in a total of 8 auditoriums. Regal patrons can enjoy free parking with validation anytime at the State Street Parking Garage." What's showing? Click here. For more information about Knoxville's downtown, submit your inquiry here.

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Revitalization and redevelopment aren't just buzzwords in Knoxville. With Market Square's successful revitalization, new retail and restaurants on Gay Street and in the Old City, and the South Waterfront redevelopment underway, officials have turned their attention to North Knoxville, moving forward with plans for the "Downtown North"  redevelopment. The plan is ambitious, involving "the second-largest redevelopment area ever identified in the city."


Photo by J. Miles Cary.

The plans include recreating the North Central Avenue corridor "as a mixed-use area ripe for new retail, commercial and residential investment," and narrowing of certain parts of Central Avenue to create a two lane street that will allow "more room for a pedestrian-friendly streetscape with bicycle lanes, wider sidewalks and on-street parking." This plan is to work in conjunction with the redevelopment of Broadway Avenue, which crosses North Central at the historic Fourth and Gill residential area (see page 2 for a map of that area; click here for maps of the downtown area and the City of Knoxville).

Although new development in the extended North Knoxville area has been among the most active in recent years, redevelopment of the area which connects downtown to it has been slower. While the Fourth and Gill and Old North Knoxville neighborhoods have enjoyed a growing popularity with renovations to their historic homes and the formation of strong neighborhood associations, the businesses and properties along Central and Broadway remained in decline. This redevelopment plan targets those areas, which will ultimately extend the downtown's successful revitalization by linking it to the nearby historic neighborhoods and, eventually, to the new development further to the north. The result will be a continuous and integrated mixed-use area with a focus on green spaces, economic development, and preservation of the area's historic resources. Although it will take several years before the area is fully transformed, several businesses are already improving their buildings' facades while investors are purchasing and renovating existing apartments. As one developer said, "It's coming. … It's come quite a way in just the last year." Want to know more about Knoxville development? Submit your inquiry here.

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