Community Profile

Summary

The Historic Fourth & Gill Neighborhood is a diverse inner city historic neighborhood adjacent to The Old City and Downtown Knoxville. The neighborhood features more than 280 residential structures, including single-family houses, duplexes, apartment buildings, and a brand-new senior living facility. The district also contains one school (now Brownlow Lofts) and three churches. It is a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, perfect for walking downtown or strolling and admiring the selection of historic homes, the majority of which are Queen Anne and Craftsman styles. The Fourth & Gill Neighborhood enjoys a long history of civic-minded activity and is home to an active social network with a strong collection of organizers, activists, and creative people who continually renew the neighborhood with fresh events, energy, and collective vitality. Fourth & Gill is home to many residents that actively participate in Parks and Beautification efforts within the neighborhood. Some of these efforts include hosting mini art galleries, participating in annual neighborhood clean-up events, establishing the Golden Shovel award (described in next section), participating in the National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat program, and planting native plants on Gill Avenue and at the Neighborhood Community Center. This enthusiasm for improving parks and greenspace has led a group of passionate residents to establish a sub-group of the Fourth and Gill Neighborhood Organization Parks and Beautification, known as the Fourth & Gill Woolly Bears. This group works to improve Fourth & Gill’s unique urban ecosystem by providing habitat for wildlife. The Woolly Bears educate about and advocate for the use of native plants and informed land stewardship practices, which increase the beauty, health, and happiness in our community.