MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Maryville College is planning to have more of a presence in the downtown area, creating the "Maryville College Downtown Center."
They held a press conference on Thursday about their plans and said the new center is being funded by "major gifts to the college's new hospitality and regional identity program." The college is leasing the upper/street level floor and the fronting on Church Street of the Historic J&K Building.
Construction is expected to start soon with a planned opening in early 2024. The downtown center will be the home of the hospitality and regional identity program, and it will include two classrooms. There will also be offices for the faculty of the program.
There will be a teaching kitchen for the Restaurant and RT Lodge, a restaurant located on Maryville College's campus. Other local dining partners will also be able to use it, and cooking classes for the community will be offered there.
It will also have fermentation sciences equipment along with a small spirit store, where people can buy Maryville College gear.
"It's about connecting with downtown. it's going through an incredible revitalization right now, and we want to be a part of it. We want to have a stake in it. The fate of the college and downtown is linked, inextricably linked. We want to be a part of the success of downtown while also attracting all these people coming downtown over to the college as well," said Bryan Coker, the president of the college.