Tennessee home once occupied by famed coach to be demolished

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A house occupied long ago by famed University of Tennessee football coach Gen. Robert Neyland is scheduled to be demolished this spring after falling into disrepair.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that the white-washed brick house is where Neyland and his wife lived during his first years as Tennessee’s head coach.

After that, it’s where artist Russell Briscoe lived from 1930 through the mid-1960s. Briscoe is known for his American folk paintings depicting historical places and events of Knoxville.

Now, more than 50 years after UT purchased the house in 1965, its condition has deteriorated. Demolition is scheduled for this spring, but a definite timeline hasn’t been set.

The university says the connections to Briscoe and Neyland were notable, but not enough to justify saving the house or investing in repairs.

Some residents and at least one local historian, however, disagree.

“I like to think that UT always makes the best decisions, but at the same time, I’d like to see some more of the heritage of the school I attended 35 years ago be preserved,” said Jack Neely, executive director of the Knoxville History Project.

Neely, who is also an alum and an occasional lecturer and consultant at UT, said the connections to Briscoe and Neyland would make it historically significant and worth saving.

“If there’s any place beside the stadium itself that should be a shrine to the history of the Vols, you would think it would be the house where Neyland really got the Vols going,” he said.

The house has been vacant for more than 19 months. Most recently, it was occupied by UT’s Department of Health and Environmental Safety, but the department moved in 2016 due to the building’s deteriorating condition, said UT spokeswoman Tyra Haag.

“The excessive cost to renovate this structure is not a prudent use of funds when the end result does not meet or provide the program needs of the campus,” Haag said. “From an occupancy standpoint, it is unacceptable, and we cannot assign anyone to the building.”

In July 2016, the State Building Commission approved the demolition after consultation with the university and the Tennessee Historical Commission.

There is no current plan for developing the site.

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Information from: Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com