High-end Gay Street hotel, arts hub planned at former TVA Credit Union

After years of back-and-forth plans for the former TVA Credit Union on Gay Street, property owner Ilana Brodt has decided to turn the building into a high-end, energy-efficient hotel with boutique retail space that embraces downtown Knoxville's artsy appeal.

The building on the corner of Gay Street and Wall Avenue – which has been vacant since 2020 – is being developed into the Onyx Art Hotel by Brodt and her husband, Avi Zenatti. Her concept for the project is to create a larger arts district with a hotel, gallery spaces and high-end shops that spans from the historic theaters near the Gay Street Bridge through the 100 block and into Emory Place just north of downtown.

The former TVA Credit Union building at the corner of Gay Street and Wall Avenue is being reimagined as an arts and culture hub that would feature the Onyx Art Hotel, high-end boutique shops and Lilienthal Gallery. The vision is for this development to create a larger arts district spanning from the Gay Street theater district to Emory Place just north of downtown.

“We thought, if we do a hotel, it has to be with a different concept,” Brodt told Knox News. “I love Knoxville as it is, but different little layers can excite and make life better here.”

The idea for Onyx, she said, was inspired by “fancy hotels around the world," aligning with her efforts to expand creative and cultural experiences in the center of the city.

What is the Onyx Art Hotel? 'Gorgeous and very, very high-end'

The Onyx Art Hotel will feature 50 to 52 rooms, including eight to 10 large suites. Guest rooms will occupy the upper floors, while the ground level will be the new home of Brodt’s Lilienthal Gallery.

Brodt’s family has been a driving force behind the revitalization of the historic Emory Place district through art and creative businesses, including by being part of the KnoxWalls mural project. It's only fitting that Onyx Art Hotel rooms will feature original artwork. The unique style of each artist and their pieces − some of which will be available for guests to purchase − will inspire the design of the room where the art is displayed.

“Hopefully, we can make it as a high-end five-star hotel,” Brodt said.

The project also meets a practical need. Brodt noted that with anticipated population growth and an increased demand from events and conventions, Onyx Art Hotel could help with hotel and hospitality needs.

Pending final city approvals, construction could begin as early as April or May.

Because the site was a federal building with a solid foundation and infrastructure, renovations will primarily be contained to the interior. Amy Sherrill with Benefield Richters is the architect behind the project, and the designer is Dani Miller of Lauderdale Design Group.

Brodt did not disclose a budget for the project, only that "it's going to be gorgeous and very, very high-end."

"I put a lot of money in there," she said. "Believe me, it's a lot of money."

The Onyx Art could start welcoming guests as early as spring 2027, but Brodt is prepared for delays that often arise in the development and construction worlds. She and Zenatti plan to have an outside management company that has experience with large or chain hotels to manage the Onyx Art.

Lilienthal Gallery plans downtown move to Onyx Art Hotel

One of the project’s centerpieces will be the relocation of Lilienthal Gallery, an art space that showcases work by contemporary local, national and international artists. Brodt has operated the gallery in Emory Place since 2022, but it now needs more space.

Several high-end hotels feature art galleries and shops, Brodt said, and she’s aiming to bring that experience to Knoxville.

With its high ceilings, the ground floor of Onyx Art Hotel will house the expanded gallery, which will be surrounded by “mini galleries” to give visitors access to a broader range of curated exhibits. The layout will include some space that could host live arts events, including musical performances.

“I like the community to be involved and (for) people to come and see and educate themselves about art and why art is really necessary,” Brodt said.

Brodt is funding the Onyx project through the sale of Emory Place buildings to a family member, who will continue with creative concepts. Brodt sees the move as an extension of her long-term investment in Knoxville’s cultural scene.

She also wants the exterior of the Onyx Art to reflect her artistic vision. On the north-facing wall, she’s considering a massive mural, a European-style green wall or large historical banners. The final choice will come later in the design phase.

Onyx Art Hotel would support high-end retail on Gay Street

Brodt’s grand idea doesn’t stop with the hotel and art galleries. She hopes to have up to seven boutique storefronts along the Wall Avenue and Gay Street sides of the building – think high-end boutiques or shops that sell gourmet breads and cheeses.

“Gay Street is a main street of Knoxville. It's supposed to be the Madison Avenue of Knoxville,” she said. “I wanted high-end stores to just bring another layer of shopping and another experience of shopping of when you stroll on the streets.”

Specific stores have not been decided, yet, but Brodt wants to introduce meaningful and unique options to the community that are not already offered downtown.

A couple of standards you won’t find at Onyx Art Hotel, though, are restaurants or bars. Brodt says there’s already enough of those downtown and she isn’t compelled to add more just for the money.

Knoxville’s first self-sustained hotel, and a holiday art preview

Sustainability is also important to Brodt and Zenatti. Plans for the Onyx Art Hotel include making the building downtown Knoxville’s first fully green hotel, with roof-mounted solar panels that shift position with the sun and an energy storage system, as well as water collection and purification systems in the basement.

The average hotel in Knoxville emits 14.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide per night, according to staze.com, a site that calculates and tracks the carbon footprint of hotels based on live data sources. Staze does not identify any net-zero hotels in Knoxville, but the site highlights six hotels for their sustainability practices, with Staybridge Suites Knoxville West deemed the “greenest hotel” in the city.

Though Onyx Art Hotel and Brodt’s vision for an expanded arts district along Gay Street are in the early development stages, the building is already showing its potential.

The building’s Gay Street windows feature a holiday art pop-up highlighting artists previously shown at Lilienthal Gallery. The art is on sale, starting at around $100. Staff will be on-site 1-7 p.m. Friday through Sunday each week until early January to help with purchases.