Another Round of Alleyway Transformation Set for Chattanooga

Amy Donahue

Alleyways in Chattanooga will continue to be a sought-out spot for art, imagination and events in another round of Passageways. A joint program of River City Company, Cogent Studio and Public Art Chattanooga, Passageways 2.0 seeks a permanent art and architecture installation for a newly renovated alleyway with a project implementation budget of $80,000.

In the first round of Passageways, four alleys were transformed with temporary art and architecture installations by teams from Chattanooga, New York and Sydney, Australia. The first round of Passageways received nearly 80 submissions with roughly one-third from international teams.

“With such an overwhelmingly positive response to the first round of Passageways, we knew we had to continue this program,” says Kim White, President and CEO for River City Company. “Instead of creating more temporary alleyways, we heard from the community how exciting it would be to have a permanent alleyway with art, light and activity. And while we work to launch this new lasting alleyway piece, we are also working to maximize the life and use of the temporary alleys from round one.”

Teams of architects, designers, artists and technologists have until Nov. 3 to submit a preliminary design idea for the roughly 6,200-square-foot alleyway located behind the new $31 million mixed use development called Market City Center.

The original completion was featured in Next City, Curbed.com, Archinect, Architect Magazine and Project for Public Spaces while the second round is currently a featured competition for The Architectural Review.

Up to three teams will be awarded $3,000 stipends to further develop site-specific designs to activate the proposed alleyway and create a vibrant pedestrian corridor with a completion timeline of late summer to early fall of 2018.

“Passageways 2.0 seeks to reimagine the alleyway and demonstrate the potential and significance these in-between spaces have to our built environment on a permanent scale,” says Jared Hueter, Architect at Cogent Studio. “With the first round of Passageways, we were able to begin the conversation in Chattanooga about what alleyways and good design could do for our community. Now with the second round, we’re creating a destination in our downtown that is enduring, intended for many uses and exemplifies the idea that well designed places evoke community.”

With over 55 community organizations and local businesses hosting 22 community-led events with a total of 4,000 attendees in the four alleys for the original round of Passageways, the new permanent installation will also have the ability to host events and be used by surrounding retail tenants. 

Passageways 2.0 is made possible by the Benwood and Lyndhurst Foundations. Find more information or submit your proposal here.