As I ere stated, most of my "in depth" explorations of abandoned places usually occur during early Sunday mornings. Like this old house along Lovell Road, in West Knoxville (or thereabouts). I did some exploring one chilly March (2015) morning, about a week after I came across it in one of my "drive-time wanderings". Driving round without any GPS aids in a new city can be daunting but...that's how I learn my way round. I only consult maps (y'know, those things known as "atlases"...) when I absolutely have to. Mind you, I never have used a GPS system. That's just one more distraction while driving, right?
Anyway, as there was no number on the building, I wasn't sure of the address. But I can tell from the debris and condition of the place in general, that it's been abandoned for some time. The lot is pretty big and there are two other out-buildings (three if one counts the old dog-house), that surround the house proper. This post concentrates on most of the house, itself...I actually started with the garage but since I took the majority of the pics of the house, our tour will begin there. Below are shots of the back and side(s) of this old place. As you can see, it's been falling apart for awhile. But on close inspection (though I'm no engineer), the brick-work looks to be in great shape. Not so much the
inside of the house...
...skirting my way round exposed tree roots and debris, I made my way up the back (cement) stairs. They were still pretty solid. The doorway here is off what's left of the kitchen. It was already open...
...I didn't venture much further than the middle of the kitchen due to the deteriorated floor (which someone had apparently tried to cover up with an old piece of plywood). Ditto the crumbling plaster on the ceiling. The place is rife with graffiti. I Took a few snaps and then cautiously retreated back outside...off to explore the basement area. Not much too look at here and as I forgot to bring an electric torch (flashlight), I dared not to explore further. One snap of "Fido's" small home and it was off to explore the front of the house (NOTE: the front of the house was actually the last place I explored but in keeping with this post it's included here).
The front is actually not all that bad-looking (at least to me). I imagine it was in style for its day...the bonus "sunroom" is still in great shape, as are the tiles that cover the floor. And the arches are a nice touch though, I'd probably replace all the old stone with stacked fieldstone or perhaps river stones. I glanced through one of the broken windows and found that the rooms were good-sized. I can only imagine what it would take to rehab this old place...
...next up, we'll do a short exploration of the garage...see ya'll there...
Pretty disappointing. From the front driving by it looks workable and some what appealing. To see the house on the blog, it's horrendous and upsetting as I was very interested. What is the history of the house ? Who built it, how long has it been vacant, etc. The entire history from the beginning to the end. I'm so disappointed.
ReplyDeleteIt is, yes. I can't say how long its been vacant; probably a few years.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled on this series after a friend sent me the link. It breaks my heart, because when I used to live nearby from mid-2003 to mid-2005, I often commented on what a cute little place it was, and how I hoped someone would give it a little TLC. For years, though, my realistic side has expected a fate more like that of the similarly picturesque (but now-long demolished) house next to Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church on Kingston Pike at Cedar Bluff, which was replaced by nothing more than an unfinished surface-level car park.
ReplyDeleteThe address, per KGIS.org, is 1013 Lovell Rd. Per Knox County Property Assessor records, it was built around 1931, and has (well, had) three bedrooms and two bathrooms in 2,178 finished square feet, plus a 1,479 square foot concrete block basement. The 440-square foot garage was added in 1950, and there's no mention of the other building which you've called the "factory", and I didn't know existed.
It was definitely still occupied when I lived nearby, and I distinctly remember seeing moving trucks outside at some point later, but sadly can't recall exactly when any more. It's shown boarded up and unoccupied in Google Street View as far back as August 2011, but KGIS aerial imagery shows vehicles parked outside as recently as 2008. (Never since, however.)
Property Assessor records show its small 1.6-acre lot having changed hands for $90k in July 1996, but not the 2.4-acre unnumbered lot between it and those on Terrapin Station Lane. On its other side is a much larger ~33-acre lot that's home to a ranch house, built quite recently in 2007.
Another deed for 1013 Lovell Rd. was issued without a change of ownership in March 2007. More recently, though, and suggesting it's not long for this world, it was sold to Lovell Place at Cornerstone Drive LLC in May 2016. The previous owners seem to have lost money on that deal, as it sold for just $95,000. That's well below the $140,000 its previous purchase price would have equated to at the time, after accounting for inflation.
Presumably we can expect it to be replaced by yet another generic strip mall eventually, which is a great shame but not entirely surprising, given its poor condition. With the small size and limited frontage of the lot it's on, I'd speculate that they're waiting until they can get their hands on the adjacent, vacant lot before that happens.
Anyway, thanks for a look inside a house which makes me a little sad every time I (now rarely) drive by!