Knoxville —
It's been almost 67 years since the last graduating class, but very soon old Knoxville High school will open it's doors for a different purpose.
Developers have been renovating the building for the last two years to transform it into a senior living facility.
"With downtown Knoxville thriving now, there is a shortage of places to live and we found a lot of seniors want to live downtown," Shea Ramsey with Dover Development said. "This old building, bringing a breath of fresh air to the building and the community, we have 80 units seniors can live in and be a part of downtown."
The space houses 80 classrooms that have been redesigned as bedrooms -- complete with Kitchenette, bathroom and closet. Residents can choose a studio style or 1-2 bedrooms. An elegant dining area offers the option of a meal plan too.
Mixing a style of new and old, developers wanted to bring life to the old building while also preserving the unique craftsmanship of its earlier days.
All of the doors, staircases, and ceilings are more than 100 years old and original. Teams have worked tirelessly to refinish them to their glory days -- check out how far its come compared to our walkthrough last July:
The school sits on National Register of Historic Places and was built in 1910. As a tribute to the school's history, an art gallery displays photographs through the years.
Knoxville developer Rick Dover is leading the project. It isn't his first retirement renovation to date. He opened The Alexander Guest House in Oak Ridge in 2015, and finished transforming the Farragut Hotel Building on Gay Street into the Hyatt Place last December.
Applications are now being accepted for people interested in residing at Knoxville High Independent Senior Living.
You can schedule a tour and find more information here.
A ribbon cutting ceremony is set for Tuesday, April 24.