Elected officials, South Knoxville neighbors and historic preservation advocates will gather Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, at 1 p.m. to break ground on Historic Giffin Square, a project that will simultaneously preserve South Knoxville’s 98-year-old Giffin Elementary School and create 77 affordable residential units. 
            
In 2025, Council approved the City’s investments of $1,059,400 from the Affordable Rental Development Fund and $300,000 from the Historic Preservation Program (HPP). Along with project-based vouchers from Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC), the City’s contributions help make the project feasible and long-term affordable for families earning less than the area median income. 

Giffin School, constructed in 1928 with design by Barber & McMurry Architects, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It was open as a school until 1995, and served as the center of operations for Remote Area Medical until 2014. 

The project will renovate the existing school building into communal spaces – a gym, kitchen, laundry, offices, mailroom, computer room, and two large gathering rooms – and add two new buildings inspired by the late-1950s modernist additions designed by Bruce McCarty. The site will also include a community playground and additional trees. Project completion is anticipated to be Summer 2027. 

For information about the City’s Affordable Rental Development and Historic Preservation funds, visit KnoxvilleTN.gov.