Why Cooper’s Alley?

The Cooper’s Office Supply Buildings were purchased in 1938 and in 1972, 717 Cherry Street and 715 Cherry Street respectively, by the Cooper family who operated a long-time office supply company out of the buildings until they were sold in 2015. The buildings now serve as dynamic office and retail space in Downtown Chattanooga and are named The CO-OP. However, the Cooper family left an indelible mark on the block and in the City Center community. When the Passageways 2.0 project began in 2018 to transform the 6,200 square foot alley that runs behind The CO-OP and the other businesses on Cherry and Market Streets into a dynamic public space, property owners and businesses along with River City Company knew that a new name to galvanize the space was necessary. With the help of surrounding tenants and property owners, the public voted for his or her favorite of four alley name options. With 775 responses, Cooper’s Alley won in a landslide receiving 708 votes or a little over 91% of the vote. The alley was christened as Cooper’s Alley at the opening of the space in November 2018.

Background

How did Cooper’s Alley come to be?

Passageways 2.0, an alley reimagination program of River City Company, coalesced in late 2018 with what is now Cooper’s Alley – a permanent alleyway installation and art piece named City Thread. City Thread consists of a continuous linear volume constructed from a series of larger, simple steel tubes. Building upon the legacy of Chattanooga by extending the attitude of adventure and exploration that the “Scenic City” is known for, and enhancing the immediate context of Downtown Chattanooga, the project is a social connector where a range of users can enhance urban life. The award-winning duo of Molly Hunker and Greg Corso of SPORTS, based in Syracuse, New York won the Passageway 2.0 competition and designed City Thread.