Downtown Knoxville is bringing in more businesses and residents with its recent revitalization efforts including newly built restaurants and condominiums. 

The downtown area has now drawn in more than 1,800 residents in the past two years, according to the downtown Knoxville organization, with the current residential market growing at a fast pace.  New condominiums have been at the core of the revitalization efforts. The Holston, The Residences at Market Square and The Gallery Lofts are being built to attract people of all ages to the area.

The Holston, which was previously a high-rise office building, is scheduled to open sometime this year with a total of 42 luxury condominiums with one remaining condo left, according to Kimberly Hamilton of Knoxville Downtown Realty.  The Holston pre-sold about 80 percent of its available spaces.  The Residences at Market Square still have a few available spaces for sale and range from $299,000 to $420, 000.  The Gallery Lofts were completed about a year ago, and all but two of the 13 spaces have been sold.

"More developments are being brought in, therefore more businesses come in," said Hamilton.  "Our downtown has transformed just in the past five years.  Demand for space is stronger than ever." 

Numerous restaurants and bars have joined the downtown area in the last two years.  In Market Square, restaurants like Mamma Jan's, Trio Café, A Taste of Havana and Marble Slab have all opened to provide more food options.  Trio Café was voted East Tennessee's best new restaurant by The Knoxville News Sentinel.  Crown and Goose, one of Knoxville's newest pubs, is located in the Old City and offers traditional English food and drinks in a British-style setting.

Entertainment is crucial to any city center.  Knoxville has taken part by renovating the Tennessee Theater and the Bijou Theater, both of which serve as a performance venue for the community.  Along with the renovations, a Regal Cinema theater with an old-fashioned theme opened August 31 to provide modern theater amenities to entertainment downtown.

  "Our downtown has transformed just in the past five years.  Demand for space is stronger than ever."

Festivals and cultural events aid in bringing people downtown to take part in community activities.  Knoxville's annual Sundown in the City is a free outdoor concert series that has been known to bring more than 12,000 people to Market Square at one time.  Other events such as Autumn in the Square, Brewer's Jam and the Dogwood Arts Festival give the community a chance to take part in cultural events.

Various future projects are in the works for the downtown area.  Market Square is scheduled to undergo a change in street circulation starting in May.  The city has just wrapped up the planning for the changes, according to Madeleine Weil.  Weil, Deputy Director of Policy Development for the city, is involved with managing activities downtown.  "We are busy doing a lot of different things right now.  We are working on the downtown dog park and the construction project on Gay Street, all along with the new street designs," Weil said.