The Medical Arts Building
First Presbyterian Church,
Please let the decision makers at the church know that their decision to demolish the building is a tragic mistake. I was told they are demolishing it for the younger members of the church. Let the younger members go check out the view from the top floor and see if they still want to tear it down.
The Medical Arts building constructed in 1929, designed by Architect RH Hunt, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is truly a national treasure. All of RH Hunt’s buildings are listed as a group on the National Register.
The James Building at 735 Broad St. was renovated in 1984. It was a major undertaking to convert from small offices to more modern open office plans. The Hamilton County Courthouse, also designed by Hunt, has been renovated over the years to adapt to changing needs of Hamilton County. The downtown Post office, currently the Federal Courthouse, has been on a list to replace, mainly due to accessibility issues. Memorial Auditorium, designed by Hunt, continues to provide entertainment enjoyed by everyone in the city. Hunt’s St. Johns Building at the corner of Market and King Streets built in 1915, was renovated from 1998 to 2002 to house commercial space on the first and second floors and apartments on the third and fourth floors. The apartments in the 1200 block of Market Street were instrumental in getting housing restarted in downtown Chattanooga. Unum renovated the Louise Terrace Apartments in 1996 on Walnut Street to house employees who can walk to work. Getting people living downtown is what has transformed our city into a thriving place to live and work. It is hard to imagine our city with all of these Historic Building demolished so it could look more like Brainerd Road.
All of our historic buildings contribute to the character of our city. It is imperative that we preserve our historic buildings for future generations. We are all on this earth for a short while, however historic buildings represent valuable natural resources assembled by previous generations and should not be discarded simply because they need repurposing.
I urge the Church to save the Medical Arts building; its Art Deco exterior cannot be replaced by modern construction techniques. The concrete frame building is not only fireproof but represents a time when art and architecture had a symbiotic relationship. The demolition of such a structure would be a tragic loss for future generations. If the church cannot use the space then you should sell it to someone who would convert it into housing for students of UTC.
Thomas Johnson
Architect
The Medical Arts Building