River City Company President & CEO Kim White announces that the former Bijou Theatre will be renamed The Block and be renovated to house Rock Creek's fourth Chattanooga location as well as High Point Climbing and Fitness.New retail sites coupled with indoor and outdoor climbing walls will revive a key riverfront block in downtown Chattanooga, officials said today.
Local outdoors retailer Rock/Creek and a new climbing business, High Point Climbing, will join with downtown redevelopment group River City Co. in the $4 million project on the former Bijou Theatre site at Third and Broad streets.
Kim White, River City's chief, said work is expected to start early next year with the new businesses to open in the summer 2013.
John Wiygul of High Point Climbing said the outdoor climbing wall is to be erected on the Broad Street side of what is now mostly parking garage. He said it will run from just above the sidewalk to the top of the garage, or 65-feet above ground.
The retail space will go into what had been the movie theater on the ground floor. About 40 jobs are expected to the created by the development, officials said.
For full story, see Friday's Times Free Press.