I’m trying to be thankful about a lot of things these days and after working for Times-News now for 21 years, I thought it would be appropriate to blog about my office.
Nah. It’s not a Manhattan skyscraper with towers of buildings below, nor is it a Frank Lloyd Wright structure on the campus of a silicon valley community. Instead, I have the fortune of arriving at work each day looking out across the street at Kingsport’s signature landmark – the train station – from a perch that was built in 1915.
My office is literally on the corner of where it all began here in Kingsport eight some years ago and it still smells like change!
The offices of The GoTriCities Network and The Kingsport Times-News were relocated to downtown Kingsport almost two years ago. We moved from the glass buildings on Stone Drive to the 2,000 sq. ft. space we have in the original Bank of Kingsport.
The first time we toured the space before we leased it, I immediately noticed the smell of change. That may sound silly and smells even more distinctive to me, but I collect my coins in a large jar and every time I get ready to cash them in the smell of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters are memorable.
This building has been a lending institution for many years. As one of Kingsport’s first banks, it’s very prominent and is one of the only buildings on main street that still has big white columns that stand out front of the building. I’ve been told the top floors of this building were the counting rooms and perhaps the reason for the odoriferous legal tender.
Fred Cason and Wayne Basler purchased the property back in the mid-eighties and had a vision to establish this block as the cornerstone of their Kingsport Centre project. I was a sales rep for the Times-News at the time and put together several of the ads that showed a revitalized Kingsport with this office complex and restaurant across the street in the train station.
That project fell apart though in a battle of political stupidity and event though it never happened and Fred died a few years back, his legacy still continues and he would smile to know that most of the building is leased with lawyers, therapists, stock brokers and our little software company.
Kingsport’s train station is the postcard picture of our downtown and each day, it’s easy to be startled by the trains that load and crash into each other as the hook up to cars at Willamette and their horns are a constant reminder of the business that has been building this town up as the Model City for many years now.
The trains are like earthquakes too when they come by and the only other distraction are the moments during a business call when the fire department rolls down the streets with sirens a blazing. It’s not a big city, but it has a ambiance all its own.
I’ve got a picture on my wall given to me Diane White several years ago when I designed the 75th Anniversary City of Kingsport calendar. It’s got a great picture of a bunch of guys in a livery office at the train station back during the cities early days and it’s a cool reminder of our past.
To my right, I can look down and see the crossroads of Main Street and Broad. Across the street, the clock on the train station is my time-keeper and during the night, the scene is even more memorable as the lights are a bright yellow as the city purrs through the night from the work at the paper company down the street.
Cement Hill rises behind the train station and the only trouble about this office is the bright sunshine that burns my face as I stare into a 23′ computer monitor everyday around 4pm. I really need to close my blinds, but I love the light that comes from three 8 foot tall windows.
I work here everyday with a staff of six and the NIE and Event Marketing personnel. It’s a great place to be in the hear to the city and we can walk down Broad to a few restaurants and you won’t find a better spot to watch the Christmas Parade and in the next day or so, I’m going to sneak in at night and watch the fireworks from my office.
One day, I’ll be out of here too. There are long range goals of having our team return to the newspaper one day as we’re really a satellite office for now. The paper on Lynn Garden drive has no room for us now, but for today and always, I’ll always appreciate my temporary perch here in the heart of the city.
If you drive by the building, look up and you’ll see a yellow smiley face cup in the window. Beep your horn too, it’s nice to know friends are driving by.