KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Demolition work on a shuttered Knoxville high school built nearly 100 years ago began on Thursday, a Knox County spokesperson said.

Knox County Director of Procurement Matt Myers confirmed that demolition is underway at Rule High School, located at 1919 Vermont Avenue.

County leaders considered several redevelopment plans for the building that were never realized.

Knox County Schools mulled turning the building into its new central office. A lease with a local church to make it into a community center was never executed. In 2021, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs’ office said mixed-use redevelopment could be a possibility.

No word yet on potential uses for the property.

The school opened in 1927 and eventually closed in 1991 due to low enrollment numbers. Legendary University of Tennessee Athletics administrator Gus Manning graduated from the school in 1943.

It was named after William Rule, a Knoxville native who served as a Union Army Captain during the Civil War. According to the University of Tennessee’s Volopedia, Rule was twice elected Mayor of Knoxville, served as UT Board of Trustees secretary for more than 40 years, and was inducted into the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame.