The Knox County Historic Zoning Commission preliminarily approved a plan on Jan. 15 to relocate the Moses Armstrong House, a historic resource at 6110 and 6114 Asheville Highway, roughly 500 feet to the southeast on the same property and reduce the local historic zoning overlay to approximately 1.3 acres.

County planning staff recommended preliminary approval but listed conditions the commission must receive before relocation: a detailed moving plan outlining sequence and method for removing later additions, documentation on how materials will be secured, plans to navigate adjacent utility lines, grading and site-preparation drawings, structural evaluation and plans for the existing limestone foundation, and architectural elevations and floor plans. Staff also advised that final legislative rezoning to reduce the overlay should not occur until after the house is relocated.

"Federal preservation guidance recommends that moving a house should be considered the last resort alternative to demolition," staff said, noting the application did not fully explore alternatives and that moving can jeopardize National Register eligibility. County staff referenced a December 2025 letter from the Tennessee Historical Commission stating the house is currently eligible for the National Register under Criterion C for architecture but that the house’s many additions complicate determining a period of significance.

Ben Mullins, representing the buyer and the applicant, said the plan aims to keep the house on its original land grant and in public view while avoiding demolition. Mullins told the commission the buyer and seller intend to each donate $50,000 (a combined $100,000) to a nonprofit that would hold and steward the 1.3-acre parcel. "We don't wanna see the house demolished," Mullins said, adding that moving the house on-site preserves more of its context than relocating it off the property.

Commissioners asked when the required engineering, foundation and moving plans would be delivered. Mullins said he did not have definitive timelines but requested preliminary approval to justify the additional expense of producing the contractor and engineering materials. He and staff discussed a 120‑day timeframe for the applicant to return with the requested materials; Mullins said he would request more time if necessary.

A motion by Commissioner Hewitt to approve staff recommendations — including the conditions described by staff and that the full application materials be resubmitted to staff and the commission within 120 days — was seconded and passed by voice vote. The commission recorded that final legislative approval of the reduced overlay must wait until the house's relocation is complete.

The commission's action is preliminary: staff and the applicant must provide the technical moving plan, structural engineering documentation for the limestone foundation, architectural elevations and floor plans, and a landscaping/site design. The Tennessee Historical Commission's assessment of National Register eligibility was described as contingent on the building's final orientation and condition after any relocation.

The commission set a procedural follow-up: the applicant is to return within 120 days with the required materials for further review; if more time is needed, the applicant may request it. The commission then held internal elections and adjourned.