Knoxville City-County Building
Encyclopedia
The Knoxville City-County Building is a building at 400 Main Street in Knoxville, Tennessee
that houses the offices of the city government of Knoxville and the county government of Knox County, Tennessee
. It also houses the Knox County Jail. The building stands ten stories, and contains 534000 square feet (49,610.2 m²) of office space. At the time it was built it was said to be the largest office building in Tennessee
.
The building was completed in 1979, 50 years after a combined city-county government building was first proposed. Businessman Jim Haslam is considered responsible for the success of the initiative to build it. The cost of the building was $26 million, much of it funded by municipal bond issues (the bonds were paid off in 2001). The building was designed by Knoxville architect Bruce McCarty
and his firm, McCarty Bullock Holsaple.
Almost immediately after opening, the jail struggled with overcrowding issues. In 1986, a class action lawsuit was filed in federal court, claiming the jail was too crowded, and three years later, a judge ruled the facility unconstitutional. When the county failed to resolve the issue, the judge ruled the county in contempt of court, forcing the county to build a new facility, which opened in October 1994.
The building was plagued with security concerns due to bomb threats during the mid-1990s. Two mail bombs were delivered to Knox County District Attorney Randy Nichols in March 1994 and May 1994, respectively, forcing the building's evacuation. The building was again evacuated in November 1995, following a bomb threat.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
that houses the offices of the city government of Knoxville and the county government of Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
. It also houses the Knox County Jail. The building stands ten stories, and contains 534000 square feet (49,610.2 m²) of office space. At the time it was built it was said to be the largest office building in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
The building was completed in 1979, 50 years after a combined city-county government building was first proposed. Businessman Jim Haslam is considered responsible for the success of the initiative to build it. The cost of the building was $26 million, much of it funded by municipal bond issues (the bonds were paid off in 2001). The building was designed by Knoxville architect Bruce McCarty
Bruce McCarty
Bruce McCarty, FAIA is an American architect, founder and senior designer at McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects of Knoxville, Tennessee. During a career that has spanned more than a half-century, he has designed some of the city's iconic landmarks, and has been the city's most dedicated...
and his firm, McCarty Bullock Holsaple.
Almost immediately after opening, the jail struggled with overcrowding issues. In 1986, a class action lawsuit was filed in federal court, claiming the jail was too crowded, and three years later, a judge ruled the facility unconstitutional. When the county failed to resolve the issue, the judge ruled the county in contempt of court, forcing the county to build a new facility, which opened in October 1994.
The building was plagued with security concerns due to bomb threats during the mid-1990s. Two mail bombs were delivered to Knox County District Attorney Randy Nichols in March 1994 and May 1994, respectively, forcing the building's evacuation. The building was again evacuated in November 1995, following a bomb threat.