KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A decade ago, many said rehabilitating the historic Cal Johnson Building on State Street in Downtown Knoxville seemed like a long shot. Just like the man who built it in 1898, the historic structure beat the odds.
After pouring more than four years and $4 million into saving the three-story building, the top floors of apartments are finished and leased. The main ground floor is ready to attract retail businesses, specifically a restaurant.
"We love old buildings in general. But they don't often come along with a story like this," said Robert Finley, broker for Conversion Properties. "Cal Johnson's life story is an amazing story."
Cal Johnson was born a slave of the McClung family. When he gained his freedom, Johnson made money as a grave-digger who exhumed and relocated the bodies of soldiers killed in the Civil War.
Johnson's wealth eventually grew to include ownership of saloons in Knoxville and tracks for horse racing. He also invested heavily in real estate, including the building on State Street.
When Johnson died in 1925, his estate was worth half a million dollars. By today's standards, that's more than $7 million, after adjusting for inflation.
The building on State Street features his name with the date 1898. It fell into disrepair in the decades after his death. It was purchased in 1978 by the Dance family and primarily used as warehouse space for storage.
"The community should be grateful to the Dance family for hanging onto this building and preserving it, and taking on the risk to redevelop it," said Finley.
With help from grants, historic preservation overlays and tax breaks, the owners could afford to save a piece of history the community could never replace.
"The character of this building, you cannot replace this history. If this was torn down, it would be gone forever," said Daniel Odle with Conversion Properties. "There is a ton of history here and it's in the real estate. It's in the brick. It's in the wood. Preserving this building keeps the history alive."
The rehabilitation project required reinforcing the entire building with steel. Posts that are original to the building are now sandwiched between heavy-duty steel.
"It is a massive metal framework that will keep this building standing," said Odle.
The work also preserved the character of the building with exposed brick and original plaster. It also puts the cultural significance of Cal Johnson front and center.
"The owner wanted to make sure everyone knew this was the Cal Johnson building. There is very clear branding outside the building. when you walk in the front door, there's a big wall-wrap with Cal's face," said Odle.
"It's just cool. There's not anything else like this right now in Knoxville. And to be able to preserve it is a huge honor," said Finley.
Conversion Properties also contracted with the Knoxville History Project to create a pamphlet with detailed background information on the Cal Johnson building.