A history-laden Chattanooga manufacturing site, the former headquarters of Buster Brown Apparel, is on the market after having held some of CHI Memorial Hospital's operations.
The asking price is $2.45 million for the 20-acre tract off North Chamberlain Avenue that was home to one of the nation's largest juvenile clothing makers for decades. The site includes 70,000 square feet of office space along with a warehouse.
Jonathan Campbell of Keller Williams Realty said Memorial, which was a tenant for several years, was officially out Dec. 1 from the property owned by Chattanooga entrepreneur Kirk Wurdack.
He said some nonprofits are leasing space at the East Chattanooga site, and the search is on for more tenants while the parcel is for sale.
Campbell said a call center would be a solid fit for the property. A business park, executive suites, medical, high-tech or research and development uses would work as well.
"We've had calls from other states and towns," he said.
Memorial spokeswoman Karen Long said the Buster Brown location had held marketing, outpatient scheduling, training rooms, and other operations.
She said the company has shifted some of those duties to the hospital's main campus on de Sales Avenue. It also has space in the Eastgate area.
"We've moved people into properties we already had," Long said.
Campbell said the main building has a new roof as well as energy efficient windows. He said the location has been cleaned up, though work is ongoing.
The property also has about 1,700 parking spaces and the buildings include conference rooms, training areas and break areas. In addition, the property is secure with several areas that can be made to badge-only entrances.
The Buster Brown name came from a character in a popular comic strip during the early 1900s.
Buster Brown and manufacturer Skyland International Corp. date back to 1903 when Davis Hosiery was established in Chattanooga. Buster Brown became a sales outlet for United Hosiery Mills, which succeeded Davis Hosiery. Skyland was named to succeed United Hosiery in 1965.
In the 1950s, Buster Brown and its manufacturer split. But in 1980, Buster Brown and Skyline came back together and offices were consolidated in Chattanooga.
Skyland was purchased by Gerber in the 1980s. That company held it a decade before selling Skyland to management in 1992. Then, the company was generating nearly 90 percent of its business from play clothes for children up to about 10 years of age.
The East Chattanooga plant employed as many as 800 people as late as 1994 and was the corporate headquarters of a business which at that time had 3,500 people working at 12 factories.
By 1999, however, Buster Brown had fallen victim to widespread losses in the U.S. textile and apparel sector and eliminated the last of its manufacturing in Chattanooga.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.