Why was JFG sign, a South Knoxville landmark, taken down? Depends on who you ask
The flickering lights of the fading but iconic JFG Sign in South Knoxville are gone.
Why? Two conflicting narratives have emerged.
The sign welcoming people from Gay Street to Sevier Avenue was taken down by the night of Oct. 2, with only the frame left standing.
Jeff Gamble, senior engineering manager for Reily Foods Company, told Knox News earlier that he has handled upkeep of the sign for 20 years. Gamble said the company leases land for the sign from the Kerbela Shriners, located at 315 Mimosa Ave. near Regal headquarters.
Knox News called the Shriners on Oct. 3 and was told Reily Foods' contract for the land ran out. The person who answered the phone did not provide their name and hung up without sharing more information.
Gamble, however, told Knox News via text the property was sold and that Reily Foods was asked to remove the sign "since our lease was terminated."
"Don't know the future of the sign at this time," he said via text.
Offers made on Shriners' South Knoxville property
Will Waugh, potentate for the Shriners, told Knox News earlier this year the fraternity had fielded roughly 15 offers for the property since last October. As of the morning of Oct. 3, property records show no sign of a sale.
Know Your Knox: Who owns the fading JFG sign, and will its lights ever be fixed?
The uncertain future of the property is why Reily Foods let the lights on the sign go dark. Gamble estimated it would cost around $10,000 to replace the nonfunctioning lights and for other repair work.
He said earlier this year Reily Foods wanted to work with a new property owner to continue the lease.
South Knoxville waterfront poised for growth
In recent years, the South Waterfront has emerged as one of the city's top opportunities for growth. The city is again applying for a federal RAISE grant to build a pedestrian bridge across the river from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus.
With or without the proposed bridge, experts have identified dozens of ways Knoxville's South Waterfront could grow over the next few years, including through the addition of hotels and restaurants.
In a report commissioned by the city and East Tennessee Realtors, CRE Consulting Corps identified the area immediately east of the Gay Street bridge as having potential for a "statement piece" akin to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga or the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
This area, which includes the land where the remaining frame of the JFG sign stands, still includes industrial purposes on certain parcels. Holston Gases owns nine parcels, according to the report, and the properties have "the reputation of being difficult to acquire and difficult to develop."
However, the consultants view this lack of development as a "blessing." If the land were open for development, it likely would have been snatched up for apartments by now, as many parts of the waterfront area already have.
"This site presents a tremendous opportunity to create a destination ? a statement piece ? and we urge all stakeholders to dream big," the report says.
Relocating JFG Sign a 'costly endeavor'
Gamble said Reily Foods paid about $100,000 years ago to have the sign refurbished and run power to its new location, where it's been since 2012. It used to stand nearer the southern edge of the Gay Street Bridge.
"It's a rather costly endeavor to take all that down and then find a home for it because you have to do all of the foundation work in order to support the structure," Gamble previously told Knox News.
At the time, Gamble said he was working with the new owners of the JFG Building in the Old City to make sure Knoxville's other iconic coffee sign continues to shine above downtown. That sign also is in need of repair work, he said.
The JFG Building was purchased in 2021 by Will Sims and Thomas Boyd for $12.95 million.
Ryan Wilusz is a downtown growth and development reporter. Phone 865-317-5138. Email [email protected]. Instagram @knoxscruff.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: JFG sign near Gay Street Bridge in Knoxville taken down
