A World’s Fairly New Amphitheatre

Although $850,000 in renovations are nearly completed on the iconic Tennessee Amphitheatre in Knoxville, the odds of the shed hosting full-scale concerts in the future don’t look promising.

Built for the 1982 World’s Fair, The 1,500-seat venue was slated for demolition in 2002 after it was found to be structurally unsafe.

The amphitheatre used to hold concerts but became a venue of last resort after a successful concert series in the city’s Market Square entertainment district shifted live music away from the shed. It was shuttered in 1999 when construction on the Knoxville Convention Center began.

Still, officials eventually stepped in to save the venue. City council members approved funding in January.

However, whether the facility will ever function as a significant concert venue again is uncertain. The venue’s aging chairs have been removed and will not be replaced, leaving only the lawn for seating.

Knoxville Public Building Authority’s Jeff Galyon told the News Sentinel the amphitheatre will be available to rent for informal gatherings at an economical rate.