Developer has 90 days to start renovating downtown Knoxville’s Andrew Johnson Building, Knox County says

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The developer at the head of a renovation project for downtown Knoxville’s Andrew Johnson Building has a 90-day deadline to start construction, according to a letter from Knox County.

The Andrew Johnson Building, originally a hotel built in 1927 has an extensive history. Once the tallest building in East Tennessee, the hotel saw famous guests like Roy Acuff and Hank Williams Sr., who, according to some legends, might have died in the hotel.

Previous Coverage: Andrew Johnson building to become a hotel once again

BNA Associates, LLC was supposed to begin turning the Andrew Johnson Building back into a hotel from its current state as an office space on Sept. 30, 2022. A year and a half later, representatives for Knox County have sent a notice to BNA, saying the company needs to start work soon.

“The County has shown extraordinary patience in not declaring default under the Development Agreement, but the County will be forced to do so if you do not proceed efficiently with the project,” the letter says.

The letter also directly referenced struggles like the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues, saying Knox County understands that delays were to be expected, but other developers have started making progress on their projects.

“The County understands and sympathizes that the pandemic, the related supply chain issues, and high interest rates initially caused project delays, but markets have started to normalize and other developers in our area are commending work on similar construction projects,” the letter states.

According to the letter, Knox County is requiring BNA to provide a project schedule stating construction will start within 90 days. If BNA doesn’t do that, they could face defaulting on the project.

The Andrew Johnson Building isn’t the only redevelopment project on hold in Knoxville. East, the Standard Knitting Mill is still sitting unoccupied after a fire in 2022, but that could change by the end of the year.

Related Coverage: What’s the plan for Knoxville’s Standard Knitting Mill?

WVLT News has reached out to BNA, who declined to comment.