Lakeshore Pavilion is latest jewel added to beloved Knoxville Park | Opinion
Lakeshore Park celebrated the opening of the Lakeshore Pavilion with a ribbon cutting on the highest hill at the beloved Knoxville park. Simon Bradbury, the new CEO of the park, was joined by Mayor Indya Kincannon. Lakeshore Park was created 35 years ago when Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter agreed to transfer the land that had housed a mental health hospital to the city. It is now managed by the Lakeshore Conservancy with the city assisting and the city mayor serving on its board of directors. The local effort to create the park was led by Jimmy Haslam III and attorney Caesar Stair III, along with me when I was mayor. The first challenge was to demolish the old buildings that came with the land. The hospital at one time housed more than 2,000 patients. Longtime Knoxville arborist Jim Cortese has received the 2026 Distinguished Achievement Award for Human Issues in Horticulture from the American Society for Horticultural Science. He wrote "John Muir Climbs a Tree and other Tree Tales," which is available from various bookstores. More about him can be found at www.wjimcortese.com . He is a cofounder of the Knoxville Botanical Garden and has helped preserve historic, heritage and
