A 30-foot tall playground climber, a 46-foot dome planetarium and a giant tinker lab are just some of the proposed ideas for Muse Knoxville’s potential new home at the Jacob Building in city-owned Chilhowee Park in East Knoxville.
“When you look at this building, it is a true blank canvas,” said Allison Comer, the president and CEO of Muse Knoxville.
On Monday at Muse Knoxville, city leaders gathered to announce a proposal to lease the nearly 57,000 square foot building to Muse Knoxville for 20 years, with an option for renewal. The current site of the children's science museum is located directly across from the Jacob Building. In the past year, the 10,000 square foot museum greeted over 140,000 thousand visitors. Comer said the lack of space does not meet the growing popularity of The Muse.
“We have to turn away school groups by October because we don't have any more physical classroom space for field trips,” Comer said. “There's so many things that we mitigate with physical space constraints, literally on a daily basis here [at Muse], all of that just goes away in a space like the Jacob Building.”
Within the terms of the lease agreement, the city would charge Muse Knoxville one dollar a year for rent.
“It's our way to partner by providing the space and the amazing location,” Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said. “And it's on the same grounds as the zoo and a lot of other good things happening here in East Knoxville.”
The museum would have five years to complete construction at the Jacob Building, including adding alterations that meet federal accessibility standards.
The Muse has already received $1 million from the Boyd Foundation and $25 million from the Clayton Family Foundation to kickstart the expansion. Comer said the Clayton Family Foundation’s donation is the largest gift ever given to a non-profit organization in the city’s history.
“This vision is only possible because of the power of public-private partnerships when city leaders and community champions come together,” she said.
The museum is seeking an additional $24 million for their capital campaign.
“We're hopeful that everyone who cares about STEM careers… or just having a great place to come visit and be able to learn about science, will consider donating,” Kincannon said.
If approved by city council on August 19, the lease will begin this fall. City leaders said scheduled events at the Jacob Building through the fall of 2026 will be fulfilled, including the annual Tennessee Valley Fair. In a comment requested by WUOT News, Tennessee Valley Fair Marketing Director Abby Villas said organizers found out about the proposed lease agreement through “public channels.”
“Although we were not included in the planning or discussion of this transition, despite our long-standing use of and historic connection to the grounds, we look forward to hearing the City of Knoxville’s plans to ensure the Tennessee Valley Fair remains part of the future use of the Jacob Building and Chilhowee Park and Exposition Center,” Villas wrote.
In July 2024, the city entered a 3-year lease agreement with the fair’s organizers to continue its annual event at Chilhowee Park. The Jacob Building would be excluded from that contract if the city council approves the agreement with The Muse.
The Jacob Building is slated to open as Muse Knoxville’s new location in summer 2028.
6th District City Council member Gwen McKenzie said the proposed lease agreement represents a larger city investment in East Knoxville.
“It's been a long time coming but…it's here,” she said. “We have to continue to stand together to see it over the finish line.”
The announcement comes as city leaders began streetscape renovations and broke ground on a new fire station in East Knoxville’s Burlington neighborhood last month.
Cynthia Finch, the president of the Burlington Business District Association, said the latest developments in East Knoxville are exciting.
“We're happy that people are coming to East Knoxville…this is our time,” she said.
