2024 Fragile and Fading list includes JFG Sign, Knoxville College and more [Video]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Every year, a Knoxville preservation group identifies historic locations that risk falling into disrepair without community support to preserve them. Knox Heritage put some notable landmarks in its Fragile and Fading list this year.

It divides the locations into three categories — “Moving Forward,” “Fading Fast” and “Still Fragile.”

The old JFG Coffee signs topped the “Fading Fast” list. The signs are remnants of a coffee company that began in Morristown in 1882 and grew into a major Knoxville roasting operation. A building in the Old City still carries the company’s old logo, along with a defunct neon sign that was first installed in 1941.

“Today, the sign has structurally deteriorated and will need a major restoration. The sign needs to be removed from the rooftop for repairs, …