In 2020, the Aslan Foundation commissioned SPA to provide programming, master planning, historic preservation and adaptive re-use architectural services for the Eugenia Williams House in West Knoxville. In addition to addressing the needs of the Eugenia Williams house itself, SPA teamed with Reed Hildebrand Landscape Architecture to transform the 24-acre grounds of the house to a public park system, introducing a walking trail from a public parking area to the house and ultimately looping down past a historic stables structure to the Tennessee River shoreline and back.
The architectural preservation aspired to restore and preserve the majority of the original Regency style home and focused modifications for new program on the deteriorated areas of the formerly abandoned structure. The preservation process included a comprehensive stabilization phase, exterior restoration and interior restoration. Exterior restoration included cleaning and tuck-pointing existing brick, testing of terra cotta and slate roof tiles and the complete restoration of existing double-hung window systems, saving over 85% of existing glass panels. Interior restoration involved a complete lead paint abatement process, including the stripping and repainting of all historic interior woodwork. A comprehensive materials testing analysis was conducted, ensuring accurate restoration of paint colors, floor surfaces and wall coverings.
The implementation of the Eugenia Williams House leveraged the comprehensive goals identified during the masterplan phase to simultaneously complete the preservation of the historic structure, the adaptive re-use of the interior program, and the full network of trails and amenities within the overall grounds.