Seeing as how there are only so many neighborhoods in Knoxville, I’m periodically going to be going back and revisiting neighborhoods that have already appeared on Neighborhood of the Week. My plan is to update the sales stats and also add a little more info about life in each particular community. So this week NOTW heads out east and back to historic Holston Hills.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Located off Ashville Highway just 5 miles east of downtown and the University of Tennessee campus, Holston Hills is a great place to live if you like greenery and architectural diversity. Built from the 1920s to the 1960s, Holston Hills has an eclectic mix of pre-stock crash estate homes, post-crash stone cottages, and post-war ranchers. Lots tend to be on the large side, and there is no shortage of old, large trees and rolling hills.

The Knox Heritage website has some nice info on the history of Holston Hills:

One of the best-kept secrets in Knoxville, Holston Hills is named for the river that borders the neighborhood on the south and east . . . Holston Hills dates from the mid-1920s, when part of the neighborhood was developed in connection with the establishment of the Holston Hills Country Club. A group of Knoxville area businessmen who wanted Knoxville to have a top-caliber golf course formed a corporation called Holston Hills, Inc. in 1926 and purchased the 180-acre McDonald farm along the Holston River. The Country Club was built and memberships to the club cost $1,000, including a free home site. The club house was designed by Knoxville architect Charles Barber of Barber & McMurry in 1927 and the golf course was designed and laid out by Donald Ross in 1928. Ross is regarded as among the finest golf course architects in the world.

Many opulent homes were built during the 1920s, but following the stock market crash of 1929 smaller cottage-style homes were built, many of stone and brick. The depression and World War II stopped further housing development, but in the post-war housing boom a number of ranch-style homes were built around the traditional 2-story stone and brick homes of the original development. Holston Hills was included in a major annexation into the city of Knoxville in 1962, which took 12,871 residents.

Take a look at the Knox Heritage website, which includes the full brochure from the ‘05 Trolley Tour of Holston Hills, from which the above information was taken. The brochure has more detailed information on individual homes in Holston Hills, and could easily be used to recreate that tour in your own vehicle one fine spring afternoon.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

And just in case you’re curious, yes, The Holston Hills Country Club is still alive and well today, and in addition to golf, features tennis and swimming.

© 2008 Robert Stockdale Photography, All Rights Reserved.

Here’s Holston Hills by the numbers -

Holston Hills*

Current On-Market Listings -21
Average Asking Price: $199,586
Median Asking Price: $189,900
Average Square Footage: 2407

Most Expensive Listing: $369,900 (3 BR, 3 full bath, 2 half bath, 3200+ sq ft, built in ‘47)

Least Expensive Listing: $109,900 (3 BR, 1 BA, 1900+ sq ft, built in ‘38)

Middle of the Road: $189,900 (3 BR, 2 BA, 2000+ sq ft, built in ‘48)

Current Pending Sales -0
Average Asking Price - NA
Median Asking Price -NA

Closed Sales - 3rd Quarter 2008 - 9

Average Asking Price - $185,044
Average Sales Price - $174,922
Median Sales Price - $169,900
Average Days on Market -81

Closed Sales - 3rd Quarter 2007 -5

Average Asking Price - $170,320
Average Sales Price - $165,360
Median Sales Price - $170,000
Average Days on Market -65

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 10/06/08 for Holston Hills proper, and does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos or PUDS.

As always, if you want any more information about any of these properties, or if you’d like to check one of them out in person, just give me a shout.

If you would like to receive a full list of properties for sale in this neighborhood, or if you would like to be notified of new listings, send me an email with either “Current Holston Hills” or “New Holston Hills Listings” in the subject line and I’ll take care of the rest. Spam? Fuhgettaboutit.

I’m always open for ideas for Neighborhood of the Week, so if you know of a great spot that I’ve missed, by all means let me know and you might just see it featured here soon.

Since I’m out of town today, there will be no new Neighborhood of the Week post today. But never fear - you can head over to Knoxify and check out my brand new Neighborhood Guide for Holston Hills. It’s chock full of neighborhood info and sales stats and should hopefully satisfy your Knoxville neighborhood curiousity until next week, when NOTW will return. See you then!

So far, NOTW has showcased Sequoyah Hills and Lakemoor Hills. In keeping with the “Hills” theme (no connection to Heidi or Spencer, I promise), this week’s neighborhood of the week is the east side “Hills” neighborhood, Holston Hills.

The Knox Heritage website has some nice info on the history of Holston Hills:

One of the best-kept secrets in Knoxville, Holston Hills is named for the river that borders the neighborhood on the south and east . . . Holston Hills dates from the mid-1920s, when part of the neighborhood was developed in connection with the establishment of the Holston Hills Country Club. A group of Knoxville area businessmen who wanted Knoxville to have a top-caliber golf course formed a corporation called Holston Hills, Inc. in 1926 and purchased the 180-acre McDonald farm along the Holston River. The Country Club was built and memberships to the club cost $1,000, including a free home site. The club house was designed by Knoxville architect Charles Barber of Barber & McMurry in 1927 and the golf course was designed and laid out by Donald Ross in 1928. Ross is regarded as among the finest golf course architects in the world.

Many opulent homes were built during the 1920s, but following the stock market crash of 1929 smaller cottage-style homes were built, many of stone and brick. The depression and World War II stopped further housing development, but in the post-war housing boom a number of ranch-style homes were built around the traditional 2-story stone and brick homes of the original development. Holston Hills was included in a major annexation into the city of Knoxville in 1962, which took 12,871 residents.

Take a look at the Knox Heritage website, which includes the full brochure from the ‘05 Trolley Tour of Holston Hills, from which the above information was taken. The brochure has more detailed information on individual homes in Holston Hills, and could easily be used to recreate that tour in your own vehicle one fine spring afternoon.

Holston Hills*

Current On-Market Listings - 16
Average Asking Price: $201,600
Median Asking Price: $182,400
Average Square Footage: 2333
Most Expensive Listing: $359,900 (3 BR, 3 BA, approx 3300 sq ft)
Least Expensive Listing: $109,900 (3 BR, 1 BA, approx 1900 sq ft)

Current Pending Sales -2
Average Asking Price - $173,500
Median Asking Price - NA

Closed Sales - March 2007 - 5
Average Sales Price - $198,300
Median Sales Price - $161,500
Average Days on Market - 95

Closed Sales - February 2008 - 4
Average Sales Price - $135,425
Median Sales Price - $134,400
Average Days on Market - 105

*Data taken from KAARMLS on 3/31/08 for Holston Hills proper, and does not include adjacent subdivisions, condos or PUDS.

I will update the closings for ‘08 if any more latecomers get entered in this evening or tomorrow.

If you want any more information about any of these properties, just give me a shout.

I’m almost out of “Hills.” What neighborhood would you like to see here next week?