KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -The vacant South High School’s building located at 835 Tipton Ave has been turned into a senior living facility.
The new South High Living Facility houses more than 60 seniors. The seniors got to celebrate the opening of the facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, July 15.
The project was overseen by Rick Dover of Dover Signature Properties.
“It’s a phenomenal building and its just a perfect set up for senior living,” said Dover.
Years ago the halls of the South High was bustling with students, now the people there are a little more seasoned. The building sat vacant since 1991.
“Literally you couldn’t walk where I was, there was no roof on the building, the walls were collapsing, the floors were collapsing, I mean it was just really a mess,” said Dover.
The new facility models another project Dover lead, converting the old Knoxville High School into a senior living facility. Both facilities have gained nation attention by the Urban Land Institute.
“When you preserve a historic building, and it’s part of the community and it goes dark, it becomes kind of a black hole for a community in terms of its energy. And what it does for a neighborhood to then restore it suddenly, it revitalizes the surrounding area and that just ices the cake for me. I think it’s great,” said Dover.
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