Architect receives award for Magnolia Avenue Campus redesign

Chad Boetger used to live off Magnolia Avenue. For years, he regularly drove past the building for which he was recently honored with the American Institute of Architects East Tennessee Young Architects Merit Award.

Formerly the site of Knoxville Catholic High School, the building now serves as

Pellissippi State’s Magnolia Avenue Campus. Boetger, vice president and director of design with BarberMcMurry architects, received the highest designation available in the Young Architects category for his solution to upgrade the existing building’s exterior and landscaping.

Described by the awards jury as “a simple modest solution that proposes to upgrade the existing buildings in an understated, elegant way,” Boetger’s design retains the original 1950s Modernist style while expressing the nature of the community college.



Explained Boetger: “That was a neat, old 1950s school. We wanted to respect the modern design, but at the same time update the image. The idea was to make it instantly recognizable as Pellissippi State’s Magnolia Avenue Campus. It’s a progressive school, and the design should reflect that.”

When completed, the renovations will feature many modern design elements. The new main entry canopy showcases staggered zinc metal panels, along with back-lit polycarbonate panels. In-ground LED lighting will increase visibility for students and others on campus in the evening.

Replacement windows facing Magnolia Avenue serve the dual purpose of being an attractive “formal front door and face to the community” and increasing energy efficiency for the building. The design plans also call for new campus signage, bus drop-off and extensive landscaping along Magnolia Avenue.

Boetger, a native of Memphis, moved to Knoxville in 1992 to study architecture at the University of Tennessee. He joined BarberMcMurry architects in 1997 and received his AIA license designation in 2003. The Young Architects Award spotlights work by interns or architects who have been licensed for less than 10 years.

Though the Pellissippi State design is not his first to win an award, Boetger says it is one of his favorites:

“This is one of the ones I’m most proud of. The team [from Pellissippi State, BarberMcMurry and Carol R. Johnson Associates landscape architecture] was a special mix that made it all come together.”