Gay street knoxville

Your browser is not supported for this experience. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. Gay Street is home to art galleries, historic theaters, the East Tennessee History Center and more — with many buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Gay Street

In an effort to save the historic Bijou Theatre, a group of concerned citizens formed Knox Heritage in to educate the city on the merits of preservation. The City of Knoxville responded by adopting the Downtown Knoxville Plan in and the Downtown Streetscape Plan in , both of which resulted in improvements to Gay Street including wider sidewalks, bicycle racks, landscaping, and historic lamp posts.

Guide to Things to Do on Gay Street

As Knoxville grew, Gay Street did, too! See the famous road through the years

Jack is the Executive Director of the Knoxville History Project , an educational nonprofit whose mission is to research and promote the history of Knoxville. He has written several books about Knoxville and its history, and they can be purchased in various places throughout the city including Union Avenue Books and the Visit Knoxville Gift Shop.