JAI-designed First Creek at Austin Phase 1 earns beautification award

February 22, 2023

First Creek at Austin Phase 1, designed by Johnson Architecture, has earned a 2023 Keep Knoxville Beautiful Orchids Award in the new architecture category. Award winners were announced at a ceremony on Feb. 16.

The Orchids Awards are presented annually to recognize Knoxville’s most beautiful properties and the local businesses and organizations who work to create them.

Owned and managed by Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, First Creek at Austin Phase 1 – the first of three phases – is a 105-unit community offering contemporary one- to four-bedroom units, modern amenities, and close proximity to downtown Knoxville and the Old City.

“We’re proud of the work we’ve accomplished for First Creek at Austin,” said Daryl Johnson, founder and president of Johnson Architecture. “By improving the site plan, aesthetics and visual appeal, we’ve been able to help transform this neighborhood and improve the community for its residents. The entire team appreciates this recognition from Keep Knoxville Beautiful.”

In addition to a wide variety of floor plans, the neighborhood offers enhanced curb appeal, new layout of public roads and sidewalks, and indoor and outdoor recreation spaces.

Johnson Architecture was the designer and architect of record for First Creek at Austin Phase 1, and J.A. Fielden served as the construction contractor. KCDC’s owner’s representative on the project was Partners Development.

In 2019, Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation’s Five Points 2, an affordable housing complex in East Knoxville designed by Johnson Architecture and Ross/Deckard Architects, earned an Orchids Award in the new architecture category. In 2020 the Johnson Architecture-designed Chesapeake’s West was honored in the restaurant/café/bar/brewery category.