Knoxville Preservation Foundation

06/13/2026

Happy Saturday from the Porch ☕️

06/12/2026

For those wondering: YUP - we're reopening the front porch! 😍

06/12/2026

Blight can’t be erased overnight.

But decline can be halted in an instant.

The moment you begin to maintain, you are fending off the forces of chaos and disorder. The moment you start getting incrementally better, you shift a trajectory. And trajectories dictate where you end up.

It may start with pulling weeds and picking up trash. It may lead to planting flowers and applying paint. It’s hard to say exactly where the process takes your town, but it is guaranteed to be somewhere better.

A community cannot improve itself and not experience a boost in self-esteem.

When people see that progress is possible, something changes. When they become proud of their surroundings, they stop distancing themselves from their town and start identifying with it.

You don’t need a master plan. You don’t need a grant. You don’t need permission.

You need a broom and enough people who refuse to accept decline.

Start there.

06/10/2026

A great opportunity if you need to dispose of some sensitive materials!

The Household Hazardous Waste Mobile Collection event is today at the Street Shop at 309 W. Reno from 4-6pm. This is provided free to residents thanks to the South Central Iowa Solid Waste Agency !

06/10/2026

We welcome weirdos 🥸

I want to talk to the weirdos for a minute.

The preservationists. The urbanists. The building huggers. The people who show up to council meetings and actually give a damn.

You are not the norm. Most people don’t know how to look at chaos and envision order. Most can’t view blight as opportunity. Most have never lived in a place that actually improved in their lifetime.

And we can’t keep hoping they’ll suddenly become civic-minded. We can’t keep trying to convince people to show up and care.

We have to start doing the relentless work of making things better.

Not hoping for change. Making it.

Because here’s what happens when you do: The potential that only you weirdos could imagine starts to seem realistic to everyone else. Progress stops feeling impossible and starts feeling expected.

And when things really get good? People will want to associate themselves with your town to boost their own self-image.

That’s when you know you’ve won.

Keep going, weirdos. Your town needs you, we all need you!

06/10/2026

Bye-bye bushes!

06/06/2026

Today marks the anniversary of D-Day, where wave upon wave of Allied force stormed the beaches of Normandy with the hope of pushing back N**i incursions across Europe. We remember those who served, fought, and died for American ideals then, and always 🇺🇲

How many among us have relatives who served in World War II? D-Day?

06/05/2026

Meanwhile... Scott has made HUGE headway on Montgomery Street!

06/04/2026

Uncovering a little more history on Main Street 🧱

How exciting are all of these improvements around town?!

UPDATE: I just spoke with Todd Chambers at the McKay Group. Unfortunately the "brick" that's being uncovered now is actually a fake brick that's also riddled with holes. Given this building's history (tractor/implement dealer, feed store, even a theater on this site at one point!) there are decades and decades of additions, changes, etc. tacked onto what may not have been considered a pretty building in the first place. As shown in Todd's attached rendering, what they'll have when they're done will be sleek, modern, and GORGEOUS! Thanks for making Main Street better McKay Group!

06/04/2026

YOU GUYS 😳

Wednesday was the first time we got to see our newly restored wooden sashes reinstalled AND unobstructed by the old aluminum storm windows, plywood, or anything else. Not only that, we also get to see them with the new trim color!! 😍😍😍

It's official: installation is hands-down the best part of redoing old windows :) Be sure to follow along if you, too, would like to learn how; we'll be releasing details about our upcoming repair and restoration class soon!