MHM breathes new life into century-old Broadway building
The Sanitary Laundry Building, which has sat vacant for years will soon become a the corporate headquarters for thriving local architecture firm.
From 1926 to 1993, the Sanitary Laundry Building off Broadway was a bustling dry cleaning service. However, it has sat vacant and contaminated for the past few decades, making it difficult for traditional resale and development.
The century-old building’s location is nestled on the same block as Remedy Coffee, Dixie Kitchen Distributors, and Hop’s Barbershop. It’s just one example of how the district – near North Broadway and Central – is seeing a resurgence in businesses. For example, Axle Logistics established its headquarters – and is expanding its footprint just up the block, Big Slate Media just revitalized and moved into a new building, and Yee-Haw Brewing consistently pulls people into the area for game days.
Now, Knoxville-based McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects (MHM) will complete an $8 million project to make the old Broadway building its corporate headquarters. Furthermore, they will create new office spaces for other, smaller companies to lease upon request.
Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC), which serves as the City of Knoxville’s official redevelopment arm, was instrumental in shepherding the project through remediation and into redevelopment. The city acquired the property through a tax foreclosure in 2014 and turned it over to KCDC earlier this year.
Ben Bentley, the Executive Director of KCDC highlighted the organization’s role in facilitating the city’s redevelopment efforts, particularly with challenging and blighted properties.
“This is a great example of how KCDC facilitates redevelopment for the city, especially with complicated and blighted properties,” Bentley said. “We were able to consolidate the Sanitary Laundry Building and the parcel behind it, secure grant funds for remediation, and negotiate directly with McCarty Holsaple McCarty to develop the property.”
KCDC also played a key role in obtaining a $500,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to address remaining hazards, with renovations soon set to begin on the 30,000-square-foot, two-story building, which will house the architectural firm.
Additionally, Knoxville City Council voted Dec. 10 to approve payment-in-lieu-of-tax (PILOT) incentives for the project.
MHMC has been commissioned to make the necessary architectural alterations to get the building up to code before they officially relocate its headquarters.
“We are excited about using our talents to bring this building back to life and create a collaborative workspace for other entrepreneurs and creatives in the community,” said Nathan Honeycutt, a Principal and architect with MHM.
The firm is also seeking federal historic tax credits to offset the renovation costs. Honeycutt said construction should be complete in the fall of 2025.
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