Kingsport Spirit

That’s just my opinion, but it seems desperate to allow a modern blue & white striped metal building to be built partially obstructing the historic Train Station. That’s what it looked like in 1970 when I was growing up. Come to think of it, we didn’t go to Main Street much. I remember my mom saying it was ‘seedy’ and ‘unsafe’. I didn’t know what she meant at the time, but her word was good enough for me. Thank goodness it’s no longer that way.

By the time I came to work at City Hall in 1985, the surrounding properties had deteriorated to the point that windows had fallen out and roofs had partially collapsed on the 100 blocks of East and West Main. Pigeons were roosting inside the buildings and flying freely inside and out. There was much talk of condemnation and demolition. Think how different Kingsport would look today had that happened. Thankfully, the wrecking ball was spared, and the Chamber of Commerce spearheaded an effort to acquire and rehabilitate the properties.

The Chamber renovated the adjoining Freight Station as its headquarters and Kingsport Centre, Inc. was founded by Fred Cason and Wayne Basler to do the rest with a slogan of “We can do it ourselves.” There were no historic grants or tax incentives, just a group of capitalists who found a way to make it happen–much like the original town founders.

Also in 1985, a traveling artist stopped at my mom & dad’s gas station to seek advice on which Kingsport landmarks he should include in a charcoal drawing he planned to sell. They suggested the Train Station among others. He drew the Train Station exactly as it appeared (with every other windowpane missing). I keep it as a memento of the ‘before’ and a reminder that we should never lose our way again and let something like that happen.

Today, Main Street is home to Centennial Park, the Academic Village, Citizens Bank, Abingdon Olive Oil Company, Cumberland Marketing, Model City Taphouse, Main Street Pizza, The Social, High Voltage, King’s Sport Axe House, Workspace Interiors, TNT Sports, The Dugout, Transit Center, lofts, and numerous professional offices and small businesses. And every side street is populated with a combination of shops, restaurants, and additional opportunities for loft living with even more on the horizon.

That’s the power of vision and sustained effort. Knox White, the mayor of Greenville, SC once told me, “We’re the 30-year overnight success story.” He meant that it took 30-years of hard work before Greenville was ‘discovered’.

Now I understand what he meant.