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Downtown Transplants
Story by Deborah Petticord and Carolyn Mitchell Photography by Deborah Petticord and Mark Gilliland Chattanooga native, Helen Burns Sharp graduated from Girls’ Preparatory School, an institution she can see from an extraordinary contemporary condominium on Walnut Street. In fact, from her vantage point she can appreciate much of Chattanooga’s 21st Century Waterfront redevelopment, including the activity on the Holmberg Bridge and around the Hunter Museum of American Art. After a 35-year career in planning and community development that has spanned the nation, she has returned.
“What Chattanooga has done here has brought me back,” says Sharp, retired community development coordinator for Albany, Oregon. Sharp moved back to the city recently after the death of her husband, the late Corry Sharp, an engineer. “After working in city planning in Oregon for years, I know that Chattanooga is considered a model for the country.” After writing and publishing a book about her late husband as a memorial, she began to think about returning home. With her purchase of a condominium in the Museum Bluffs Park View building, Sharp has recommitted herself physically and emotionally to the city. She has immersed herself in decorating her home, the first contemporary-style dwelling she has ever owned. Revival’s Rodney Simmons has provided some inspiration for Sharp, suggesting a mix of some of her old pieces of furniture blended with sleek modern sofas and chairs in bright colors. Sharp says, “Downsizing provides an opportunity to get rid of clutter and to explore new decorating styles.” The open quality of the corner condo is exaggerated by vaulted ceilings and expansive windows that offer views of the river, the Walnut Street Bridge and the Hunter Museum of American Art. Sharp’s office and library occupy the corner room with the bird’s eye view. Bookshelves extend halfway to the ceiling, where whimsical letters take over the viewer’s attention. She is reconnecting with old friends like high school classmate Gail Bryan and has made many new friends. She says there is always something to do—an assortment of galleries, shops, restaurants and the Hunter Museum are all within walking distance. Performances at the Tivoli and events at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga are only a short drive away and Chattanooga’s free electric shuttle is an easy way to access Southside attractions. “From here I have a front row seat to all the riverfront events,” adds Sharp. “You have no excuse for being bored or lonely, just step out your door and be with other people.” Invigorating Location The first couple to move into One North Shore was interested in doing for one reason-taking full advantage of the great outdoor life the Chattanooga area has to offer. "It has worked generally well," says Tim Smith. "We can walk, run ride our bikes and kayak on the river from here." He and his wife Stephanie, train for marathon mountain bike competitions throughout the Southeast. This weekend they are participating in a race in Birmingham, Alabama. "We're happy to be in a good, centrally located spot," adds Stephanie. "We use the garage for a staging area." The cavernous parking garage has secure storage for their kayaks. Tim and Stephanie use a trolley to pull the boats through Renaissance Park to the base of the nearby John Ross Bridge. The Smiths live in a 1,100-square-foot condo with their two standard poodles.
Fortunately, storage for their oversized gear is plentiful. The common areas of the complex may only be described as luxurious and there are many opportunities for getting to know neighbors. “It’s a pretty international group of neighbors, too,” says Tim. From the beginning Volkswagen has leased 20 condominiums to be used by VW executives. Seasonal parties and monthly dinners are scheduled regularly, although the Smiths are vegetarians and take most of their meals at nearby Taco Mamacita, Mojo Burrito and Greenlife Grocery. The good location extends to their work lives as well—they are both less than ten minutes away from their jobs. Tim has been a marketing manager for Chattem, now Sonofi Aventis, for three years and South Carolina native, Stephanie, is a nurse anesthetist at Memorial Hospital. Shopping in the Two North Shore complex is convenient for the Smiths, especially since the Trek Bicycle shop and Rock Creek Outfitters are located there. Stephanie is on Rock Creek's Women's Elite Bike Team. "There are so many things to do outside in Chattanooga, with sports, music and riverfront activities," says Tim. They are particularly fond of the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival on the riverfront each fall. They can hear the music from the cabana room at One North Shore, or simply walk across the bridge if they want to be closer. The bridge is also a good place to observe a major sporting event like the Head of the Hooch rowing regatta, where teams from all over the United States come to compete. The Smiths feel lucky to be in the mid-south where outdoor activities are easily accessible and there are four seasons. Many parts of the country where they have competed experience "brutal winters" that put a damper on the appeal, however, Chattanooga's long autumn season and mild winter allows for optimal training time. When the evenings are cold, the Smiths just set up stationary bikes in the indoor storage facility. For this time in their lives the Smiths find downtown living at One North Shore invigorating. Tim says, “It works for us.”
Not All High-Rent Downtown living proponents tout housing opportunities available to a broad spectrum of people. But for many new developments the eligible demographics boil down to the rich, the very rich and the very, very rich. Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce account executive Stratton Tingle has managed to locate that rare urban residential gem: a roomy, charm-chocked and affordable flat in the center of town. For less than $400 a month each, Tingle and college chums, Angela Carver and Jon-Michael Brown, rent a 1,300-square-foot, second-story loft on Market Street. The three-bedroom apartment includes a spacious living room featuring two tiled fireplaces and a galley kitchen with a dining counter large enough for a Thanksgiving spread. “People who visit us want to live here,” says Tingle, surrounded by 10-foot-high ceilings, hardwood floors and heart pine woodwork. “We call it Le Chateau.” But the Missouri native who attended Southern Adventist University as a film production major says his urban crib in the chunk of historic brick buildings just north of 13th Street is a threshold to even bigger attractions of life in the metropolis. “You walk out the door and, boom, you’re just a few steps from restaurants, the cinema, live music,” Tingle says. Favorite haunts range from Renaissance Park to the Chattanooga Market to the Pickle Barrel, a late-night hangout for serious partying and equally serious debate on local issues. The central city serves as a stage for this young man about town who seems to be into everything, just as he seems to know everybody. If there’s a Chattanooga Young Professionals meeting, or a screening of a foreign film from Mise En Scenesters, Tingle, sporting his waist-length dreads, is likely in the mix. Some stages are figurative, others actual. Tingle’s electronic/experimental band, Prophets & Kings, has played at Nightfall and Rhythm & Brews, among other venues. He says connections with arts backers and other artists drawn to an increasingly lively downtown boost his band’s musical ambitions. Tingle acknowledges annoyances such as yowling fire engines and no garage for tinkering on automobiles. But to the 28-year-old Chamber staffer who lived in a shed as a student missionary in Zambia, his “town” home is indeed his castle. “Living downtown means you’re part of something big -- the ideas and initiatives that are shaping Chattanooga,” Tingle says. “On another level it means I can walk to work in nine minutes.” Knoxville Transplant Marn Ball is a Knoxville transplant whose son was enrolled in private school in Chattanooga. The older of her two sons was a boarding student at Baylor. When Ball made the move to Chattanooga, both boys transferred to McCallie School and lived with their mom in one of Chattanooga’s newest condominium developments, the Walnut Hill Town Homes. Although many of the newer condos are contemporary, these are classic brick town homes with all the traditional features, equipped with state-of-the art interiors. And, they are located “near just about everything!”
“My son said ‘Mom, don’t move up on the mountain, stay in the downtown, it’s really cool,’” she says. “He was right—I love it.” The 56-year-old enjoys the convenience of walking to shops and restaurants. “I’m glad they opened the bridge to dogs,” she adds. Ball has three rescue dogs—a Weimaraner and two cocker spaniels—that are an important part of her life. Ball decorated and finished the three-bedroom condominium she purchased at Walnut Hill. With the help of Becky Worley at Classic Cabinetry, she designed the kitchen, choosing Wolf appliances from Fergusons and leathered granite countertops from Stone Service. In fact, Ball’s kitchen was on the Junior League’s Tour du Jour last year, an annual fundraising event for the organization. The corner condominium is filled with light and color, ornamented by original art throughout. “My philosophy about art is simple,” she says. “If I love a painting or sculpture, that’s the most important thing about making a purchase.” A local artisan was commissioned to do the custom railing on her staircase. He modeled the design after a photograph she admired and crafted it from aluminum (the original was made of brass). Enlarging the laundry room, choosing finishes for the master suite on the third floor and developing a media and office area have kept her busy now that both boys are in college. “I almost have it perfected,” she says of her city life. The addition of a dog run alongside the condominium made it more practical to have her pets. There is room for a crowd, too. Ample street parking and a guest apartment over the garage in back make the home perfect for entertaining out-of-town family and friends. Ball enjoys traveling and says that when she lived in a traditional neighborhood, leaving was difficult, even for a long weekend. Now that she’s in a “smart home” everything is automated and secure. “I like the people in Chattanooga, it’s a very friendly town and there is always something to do,” says Ball. “You can go to Nightfall or watch the Head of the Hooch races on the river—there is always an activity.”
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