John Shearer: Random Thoughts About Tyner Razing And “Jaws” In Chattanooga

While political disagreements about how the country should be governed continue in a volatile fashion, in Chattanooga some strong divergent opinions have also existed in recent days about historic structures.

One, of course, is the discussion regarding First Presbyterian Church’s plans to tear down the adjacent R.H. Hunt-designed Medical Arts Building it owns. A Chattanoogan.com poll shows about 70 percent say it should not be torn down.

And as Engel Stadium seems in an also-dire state amid its dilapidating condition and plans by UTC to add some sports-related additions in that area, I saw a very articulate Opinion letter written by Engel Foundation co-founder Janna Jahn. In it, she called for the stadium’s full preservation and restoration.

Posted in recent days at Chattanoogan.com, the letter at one point said, “We’ve got one of the few remaining historic ballparks left in the nation. That ought to be worth something. I believe we can do this. We can save Engel Stadium.”

A historic structure in Chattanooga that was razed in recent weeks without much attention or news, even though the plans for it have been in the news for a couple of years, is Tyner Academy.

The old Tyner High School that many Chattanoogans remember as a popular high school is no more. Even the old and pretty mid-century auditorium that sat uniquely a few feet away from the other buildings has also been leveled.

Knowing it was to be torn down, I had actually thought about trying to see if I could walk through the old school maybe with a couple of alumni and take some pictures before it was demolished. I had done that when the old Red Bank High/Middle School on Dayton Boulevard was torn down in 2013, and I received emails from several Red Bank High alumni living out of town asking if I could email them some of those pictures.

I had checked with Hamilton County Schools officials about doing this with Tyner, but I learned from the communications office that I had just missed by a couple of weeks. In other words, the building was already gone.

Most surprising to me, though, as someone who does not travel much in that part of town near Bonny Oaks Drive and Hickory Valley Road, is that the new Tyner Academy appears to have already been built. It is located closer to where the old stadium was, although some leveling dirt appears to have been brought in.

It is nice looking and looks much like the newer Hixson and Red Bank middle school facilities in style. That is in part because it also has multiple wings of seemingly equal size.

I am a sucker for old buildings, though, and am sad to see the old Tyner High facility gone. Although, it is good that the new school remains at the same site, as a Tyner school has been there since the early 20^th century.

I did get a chance to walk around the old Tyner High with former coach and teacher Ernie McCarson in 2022 for a story when I knew it was going to be torn down, so I am thankful for that opportunity.

And the also-vintage former Tyner Junior High across Tyner Road remains for the time being along with the original Tyner stadium for those who regularly need a nostalgia fix.

Among other razing news items, when I went to fuel up at Hardee’s on Highway 58 for breakfast while on my way to Tyner from my Northgate Mall area home, I noticed the Food City shopping center there was being demolished, probably for a new store. I know a Red Food Store had once been there.

And some new buildings have also popped up along with the new Tyner facility. I must say the soon-to-open and shiny new Speedway gas station and convenience store by Bonny Oaks Drive and Jersey Pike looks quite attractive, as does the large new Weigel’s on Amnicola Highway.

Maybe that is a good sign that convenience stores are now being critiqued and praised architecturally!

I have also noticed in recent days that the Culver’s and BJ’s Wholesale Club are under construction on the Highway 153 side of Northgate Mall. The BJ’s building appears to be massive, maybe larger than the former Sears that was torn down there, so a construction scene is quite visible. It maybe takes passersby back to the days when Northgate was under construction in the early 1970s.

At that time, Eastgate was the big shopping center, although it also was later enclosed and became a mall. And 50 years ago this summer, after Northgate was trying to unseat the Brainerd shopping center as the most popular mall, “Jaws” played at the Eastgate One theater on the end of the center closest to I-75.

That was one of the high moments in Chattanooga theater history post-television, and numerous Chattanoogans flocked to see it in such a numerous manner probably not seen since “The Sound of Music” was shown in Chattanooga in 1965.

I went and looked on microfilm at the Chattanooga Public Library, and the movie opened at Eastgate on Friday, June 20, 1975, and played continuously through Thursday, Oct. 2. That was quite a lengthy run for those days, and movie ads were saying over 80,000 locals had already seen it several weeks before it closed. I was one of them as a 15-year-old, and I remember enjoying it.

Besides scaring people about sharks, it also had a praised storyline that drew viewers in as officials tried to catch the giant shark that had terrorized the Massachusetts town. The movie was also directed by a young director by the name of Steven Spielberg. And who can forget the music by another genius, John Williams.

“Jaws” was nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award but lost out to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.”

Speaking of the past and nostalgia, those who fondly remember the musical past or are just getting a little older heard the sad news that Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and Sylvester Stone of the funky music group, Sly and the Family Stone, recently died.

I checked in David Carroll’s book, “Hello, Chattanooga!” and neither person apparently appeared in concert in Chattanooga, although the Beach Boys without Mr. Wilson appeared in 1985, 1989 and 1995 at the McKenzie Arena by UTC.

Both singers were unique trend setters. Although I did not care as much for the Beach Boys other than the more emotional song, “God Only Knows,” I understand now that Mr. Wilson, who came from a dysfunctional home, simply thought music should be fun.

I also remember that a controversy arose in 1983 after Interior Secretary James Watt said the Beach Boys and other rock groups were not to perform in the National Mall because they attracted the wrong element. That did not go over well with President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, particularly Nancy, and the fellow Californians were back in 1984 after an apology from the controversial Mr. Watt.

I did like Sly and the Family Stone and such songs as “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” and “Family Affair.” And I thought it was neat the group was known for being cross cultural in a pioneering way in terms of the gender and racial makeup of the members.

Both Mr. Stone and Mr. Wilson were creative geniuses but also battled substance abuse and other demons. Mr. Wilson was also a friend of Charles Manson before knowing Mr. Manson would oversee the unfortunate and infamous murders in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969.

Speaking of devilish references and images, I unfortunately saw my first living snake of the year last weekend. I was jogging over at the Sterchi Farm trailhead of the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway and was running on grass as I usually do, even though I was disappointed to see it was kind of high and had not been cut in recent days amid all the rain.

I went ahead and ran since there was a slight trail that had been patted down in the open area where they have several obstacles for children. I thought all was well, but as I was getting ready to leave and jog out one end, there below the grass about five or 10 feet in front of me, I noticed a snake slithering across the grass quite stealthily.

Thankful I had noticed it before stepping on it, I turned around and went out on the asphalt path by the creek. I don’t think singer Alice Cooper was there for a concert, but I instead had just encountered by chance a wild reptile looking for a little lunch probably.

While there, I also did not see a zebra, but I might have if I had been jogging in the Middle Tennessee area. As was in the news, a zebra acquired by a husband in what was apparently a not-so-wise decision quickly got out of its enclosure. It was on the run for several days, just like the human variety wearing striped clothes sometimes are after escaping from prison.

This striped and majestic creature in contrast can hopefully now find some nice and amenable new digs.

Some Rams of the Tyner variety are getting ready to enjoy their new digs as well, even though a few older Rams might be partially sad their old school is gone amid their well wishes for the current students and new facility.

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Jcshearer2@comcast.net