“Was it just bad luck, that year of ’13? It was the worst year for historic preservation in my reporting career, and it somehow packed a few fresh disappointments about long-anticipated new projects.”
The words of MetroPulse "Secret History" columnist Jack Neely. For someone as dedicated to Knoxville’s history as Jack, 2013 was not a good year. Historic buildings were demolished to make way for parking lots, apartments, or in some cases, nothing but plans on a drawing board.
On Thursday, January 16, Jack Neely explained why he thinks 2013 was a year in which urban preservation efforts stumbled, starting with the University of Tennessee’s decision to tear down historic homes as part of an expansion project. He spoke WUOT All Things Considered host Brandon Hollingsworth.