Work crews return to Elkmont
Rehabilitation work in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has started up again, with work crews beginning to remove 10 structures March 12.
The removal of these structures, located near the former Wonderland Hotel, will mark the end of major demolition work that began there in 2010 following a 2009 Memorandum of Agreement between the National Park Service, Tennessee State Historic Office and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The agreement designates 19 of the 74 remaining Elkmont structures for preservation and 55 for demolition.
Demolition should be done by April 30, with the administrative road running through the area closed to pedestrians during the demolition to accommodate heavy equipment. The contractor Street Legal will lift the structures from their infrastructure so foundations and chimneys can be preserved in place. Crews have already salvaged usable items from the structures for use in other historic park structures.
This fall, park staff will begin a separate project to stabilize four structures in Daisy Town — the Sneed, Smith, Higdon and Swan cabins. Workers will repoint masonry features, replace rotted wood, paint and make needed repairs to windows, doors and roofs.