The Joy of Music School is a school “providing a quality music education for financially disadvantaged, at risk youth” in the Knoxville area. They strive to “Broaden lives through music for all financially disadvantaged children and teens.” The Joy of Music School also seeks to provide structure in life through inspiration and example. They set high standards for students in order to help them grow and develop skills needed. James Dick was the founder of the Joy of Music School in 1997. James was inspired to create the music school after visiting something similar in Nashville; he decided to bring the idea back to Knoxville. He gathered fellow leaders in Knoxville in order to help get it up and running in 1998. He began by offering these lessons to local Boys and Girls Clubs. Originally the music school was located in a small 900 sq. ft. space at the Moses Center on Euclid Avenue. In 2005, the school moved into a more spacious and inviting building on the same street. In 2011, James passed away leaving an extraordinary legacy behind. The Joy of Music School has been featured on the news multiple times for the impact they are making and the many talented artists teaching there. I think this is a very unique non-profit serving a very specific area of Knoxville. I am happy to know this is in existence to provide for those passionate about music. I hope this non-profit continues to inspire and change lives.

Local Charity - Due March 5

This week, please research a local charity/non-profit organization in Knoxville and write about it. I would urge you to consider writing about an agency that you're less familiar with in the area, and also one we did NOT visit during Alternative Spring Break. If you have the ability or desire to go visit this  organization and learn more about it, that is also encouraged (but certainly not a requirement).

Below are a few points to consider while writing/researching your blog post:

1. What is the mission of this organization?

2. Who/what do they serve?

3. When was it founded or how was it created?

4. Where are they located in the community?

5. Are there any interesting historical facts about the organization?

Candoro and Vestal

After visiting the Candoro Marble Works property, it was interesting to see the marble showroom and the adjacent marble cutting facilities. The company was started in 1914 as a subsidiary company to the John J. Craig company to convert the raw materials into finished products. Candoro Marble Works created several works for important clients across the nation like the Smithsonian Museuem of History, the US Capitol Building, pieces at the Pennsylvania State Captitol, and several other monuments and buildings. Albert Milani was the chief carver where for over 40 years he supervised the production of the finished marble products and created several scluptures and ornaments from marble. After World War II, buildings and other monuments were made from other material besides marble and the marble boom soon became a bust. In 1982 Candoro shut down its operations and was soon preserved by the South Knox Arts and Heritage Center and in 2014 the property was acquired by the Aslan Foundation to enhance and preserve the natural beauty and assets of Knoxville.

While visiting the Candoro Arts and Heritage Center, it wasn't hard to notice that the surrounding area was not very affluent to afford the marble pieces that were produced at Candoro. After some researching, I discovered the neighborhood in which Candoro is located, is called Vestal, named after two brothers who owned a hardwood lumber company that was also located in the area (they never lived in what we now call the Vestal community, however). The area became a neighborhood because the workers of the company built their houses around the factory. Its important to note that Vestal is in south Knoxville across the river, which did not have poor bridge access and led to uneven development in the city. So after looking at the surrounding area of Candoro, it would seem likely that the houses adjacent to the facility were homes of workers of either Candoro Marble or Vestal Lumber.

Candoro Marble Works

Candoro Marble Works is a marble cutting facility founded in Knoxville in 1914. Candoro was founded by four individuals. They each took the first couple letters of their last names and combined them to come up with the name "Candoro." The facility closed in 1982, however independent marble fabricators continued to use the facility until it was purchased by South Knox Heritage when it became an official "historic place." As well as cutting marble, Candoro would polish it too. Marble from Candoro was used to create many monumental buildings across the United States in the first half of the 20th century.

Candoro Marble Works

From reading what I can about the Candoro Marble works and the history of it, it was definitely a part of history that I was not familiar with. One thing in particular that I found interesting were all of the places that this small company provided marble for including, The Smithsonian Museum of History and Technology, The National Gallery of Art, and The Knoxville Post office. As I have been in all of these buildings, it is interesting to see such well visited buildings to have a small part of Knoxville in them! From the pictures that I have found online, the grounds look beautiful and definitely somewhere I would look to have a wedding!

Candoro Marble Works

The Candoro Marble Works building, along with other building once owned by the Candoro Marble Company, is a part of the Candoro Arts and Heritage Center.  The company's buildings were finished in 1923.  The Canodoro Marble Company was once the largest producer of pink marble in the United States.  The Tennessee Pink Marble produced by them is not actually marble at all, but is limestone.  In 1920, there were twenty active marble quarries, but today the use of Tennessee Pink Marble is not very common so there are only six active quarries in Knoxville.
The Candoro Marble Company is located in Vestal. Vestal is a part of South Knoxville. When I visited the area Saturday I could tell the closing of the marble company likely had a big impact on the community because it seemed to be a bit rundown.
Today the Candoro Marble Company's buildings and land are on the National Register of Historic Places and are used for art events and other things such as weddings.  Some of the events include an Annual Holiday Open House where there are artists featured, the Candoro Homecoming, weekly yoga and meditation, and Vestival.  Vestival is a yearly arts and music festival held on Mother's Day weekend.
The Candoro Marble Works building is not open for visitors 24/7 so I wasn't able to go in on Saturday, but I did walk around a little and look in the windows.  The building is beautiful! I can definitely see why so many people want to get married there.

Candoro Marble Works

The Candoro Marble Works was part of the John J. Craig Company from 1914 until 1982, when it closed. The Candoro Marble Works polished and finished marble for the company and then was sent all over the United States and the world. This company and others like it gave Knoxville the nickname “The Marble City”. I thought that it was pretty cool that they hired an Italian man named Albert Milani as their chief carver. He worked for the company for forty years and worked on marble that went to the Smithsonian Museum of History and Technology and the National Gallery of Art. Also, he worked on marble that is on the Pennsylvania State Capitol and the eagles on the Knoxville Post Office. Another thing that I thought was pretty cool was that radioactive material from Oak Ridge was recycled there in the 1960’s and 1970’s. It’s kinda crazy that really dangerous material was recycled not far from a really densely populated area. The showroom was designed by Charles Barber in 1923 in a Beaux-Arts style. It kinda gives it a Mediterranean feel that is unusual for the Knoxville area. I can see why they use this place for weddings now.

They combined their last names together. Inspirational.

I must really be pretty out of touch with Knoxville's history (thank you LKS for helping me learn an it) because wow I never heard that Knoxville was known as "The Marble City", but I also didn't know Peyton Manning went to UT until about October of my freshman year.. so yeah.. moving on. 

Any who, I decided to research after I visited, just so I could be completely clueless and make my own assumptions about what this building was that I was visiting. Come to find out, Candoro Marble Works used to be one of the 20 marble processors in Knoxville. It used to be one of the biggest producers for pink marble (why wouldn't you want pink marble) in the US. The company started only using its local made stone, but then ventured into imports to get some of the other stones people requested. It shut down operations after World War II, but was still used by different businesses for awhile. Today, the building is ran only by volunteers, and is available to rent out for events. It is part of the National Registry of Historic Places, and I can see why.

With a building that used to produce so much for the community, it is hard to let it go. The drive to the building with the trees on both sides is amazing, and getting to see the old production building was something I had never seen before. I did make a point to look into each room, and it was a beautifully made building. I wish I could have learned a bit more about the building, or even been able to go inside, but I am definitely happy LKS led me to this awesome gem of Knoxville!

A new Knoxville discovery!

It’s always amusing to me when I have those a-ha moments and this week’s blog inspired one that revealed a piece of my hometown. I have always heard Knox nicknamed the “marble city”, but it wasn’t until reading the rich history of Candoro Marble Works that I developed an understanding of the marble companies that inspired this name. What I found to be even more amusing is that this historic site is just a few blocks off the beaten path of UT’s campus and one that I’ve passed numerous times without ever fully acknowledging. One of my favorite facts that I researched was the strategic placement and location of Candoro Marble Works which was specifically chosen because it was situated close to the railroad and Goose Creek, both of which helped in the manufacturing and business of the marble. This served as an example to me of the major changes experienced in production over time. I was pleased to learn that even after this site has put its marble ventures to the side, Knox Heritage has adopted it as a historic site. I loved reading of the creative uses of the building now including hosting cultural and arts events as well as weddings!  To me, Candoro Marble Works symbolizes that there is always more to learn about my hometown and the sites that continue to bridge our past and present and future!

Tennessee Pink Marble... I mean Limestone

Preserved by the South Knox Heritage group, Candoro Marble Works holds a lot of history for Knoxville. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit this week, but I am definitely going to go this week, because the research I did about it's history was very alluring. 

It seems that after the Civil War, there was an increased need for marble and quarries; soon after recognizing that Knoxville had some of the most rich quarries, Knoxville became known as the "Marble City". However, according to the Candoro Marble Works website, that marble that became known as "Tennessee Pink Marble" wasn't actually marble at all; it was limestone. This marble has been used in many important structures, including the National Gallery of Art, Grand Central Station, and even the Capitol building in Washington D.C. 

This pink marble (ummm... limestone) did not discover itself. It was due to many important companies setting in Knoxville and the surround areas that this marble was able to be refined and used. One of the leading companies at the time was the John J. Craig company, which was responsible for developing Candoro Marble Works. They chose the location in South Knoxville because it was both close to the railroad station as well as Goose Creek, which was used to cut the marble. It's main purpose was to develop the marble that the John J. Craig company found in the quarries into a finished product. 

However, after World War II, building using marble decreased, which meant a decline in business for Candoro in 1982. The building, however, continued to be used by several different independent marble finishing companies into the beginning of the 21st century. Today, the building is used as an event center and those who are in charge of the building are working to preserve the integrity of its history. You can even get married at this historic site and even have your first dance on its marble floors.

Candor Marble Works

I'd love to say that this was a beautiful breathtaking place, but it wasn't really that aesthetic as the name kind of suggests. I liked knowing more of the history surrounding the building though. It's something I drive by every day without ever really noticing it. An oldish, abandoned building.

The company "Candoro" was named after all of the founders which I though was neat. Using all of the founders and co-founders' last names
"C"raig
"An"derson
"Do"naldson
"Ro"dgers
Cool, right?

Another cool tidbit was that the marble that was cut here was used in the construction of the Smithsonian Museum of History and Technology and in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.! Knoxville is spreading its ripple effect all across the country folks.

Candoro Marble Works: A Very Unoriginal Title

When looking at the requirements for this assignment, I got a little excited because I thought I was going to get to ride a little bit and discover something I never really knew existed before. Half of this was true. I did not get to ride very far because Candoro Mable Works was approximately four minutes away from my house.

Once I arrived my GPS said that I was supposed to be looking at a run down building that looked like it had not been loved in years. I then pulled up the assignment on my phone to really discover what I was supposed to be examining. I learned that I was in the correct location, but I was not looking at the correct building.

Like many others I had always heard of Knoxville as the "Marble City" but never really understood why. After learning for about Candoro Marble Works, I learned exactly why this nickname was given. Many of the monumental buildings in the area include marble that was cut and polished in the facility.

I also learned a little bit of history behind this native landmark. Candoro Marble Works became a subsidiary in 1914 of the John J. Craig Company which operated several quarries in the Knoxville area. The company used the materials from these quarries in the development of the marble products they produced. The company closed it's doors in the 1982, but in the early the 2000s the South Knox Heritage purchased the building in order for it to be used for the purposes it is used for today.

These little gems are what makes Knoxville what it is and what makes it so special.

My Backyard

When I typed the address into the my GPS (yes, I still use a GPS because I do not have unlimited data...), Candoro Marble was 1.2 miles from my apartment...right down the road! I followed the directions and it took me on the route that I take to get to Kroger. I literally drive by Candoro Marble once a week and still never knew that it was there! The more you know!

When I arrived, I stepped out of the car and was greeted by the smell of fresh asphalt (and it wasn't a bad smell, just an interesting one). Marble was everywhere! I walked around, peeked in the windows, found 10 cents and walked around some more. I ventured down the stairs in the back and looked at all the spare bits and pieces and looked up what Candoro Marble actually was. I never knew how hoppin' the marble industry used to be! I also was not aware where marble came from...it comes from quarries...there is a a quarry right down the road from Candoro...coincidence? You tell me! (I also live at Quarry Trail...I am picking up on a theme here...just sayin').

One thing that I have realized over these past couple of weeks I have realized that Knoxville's history is kinda cool. It is unique in that it is everywhere you look. I was amazed that this place was literally in my backyard. As my time comes to a close at UT (even though I have an extra semester...), I am valuing Knoxville's history and learning about it!

Marble

Going to see Candoro Marble Works was a wonderful experience. The day was sunny, breezy, and serene. The broken glass on the adjacent windows captured the essence of abandonment filled with a rich history.

During the 20th century, Knoxville became the quarry center of the region. Candoro Marble Company began to operate in Knoxville in the early  1920s and was the largest producer of the Tennessee Pink Marble, denoted for its pretty pink color. The famous Tennessee Pink Marble is not marble at all but limestone. At the time, there were six quarries in the area, and the Candoro Marble Company expanded to include a showroom and offices, as well as areas designated for polishing and processing the marble from the surrounding six quarries. 

Each year, the South Knoxville Arts and Festival, known as Vestival, is held to raise funds for the preservation of the historic Candoro Marble Works and events that are held there throughout the year. 

Marble City

Just doing a quick read about the Candoro Marble Company taught me many things I had not known about Knoxville. It is interesting that it has been called marble city due to its' boom in the marble industry in the few years after the civil war. The marble developed here in Knoxville that had a pinkish color became known as "east Tennessee marble." The building was constructed back in 1927 and still stands in its marble structure, showing just how strong the material is. Unfortunately when going I was not able to see the inside, but did have the chance to see the building and its surrounding areas. The building is a nice white color with beautiful arches. The surrounding area however is not very aesthetic. It is full of old run down abandoned buildings that appeared to have been factories. Its location in South Knoxville was no coincidence as there is a railway nearby. I find it very interesting that the name "Candoro" comes from the first letters of the names of the three founders of the company. Once the use of marble declined after World War Two, the company was forced to close in 1982.

Pretty Pink Marble

Tennessee Marble was something I knew almost nothing about. It used to be a HUGE industry in Knoxville, even the biggest in the country. People used to use marble much more than they used. After World War II, however, a demand for fast, inexpensive home building resulted in less demand for Tennesssee Marble. In the 1920s their were twenty marble quaries and today there are only six. When hearing the word quary, I think of swimming and jumping off cliffs into the water. Most people are not aware that this region still supplies Tennessee Marble today. 

When I visited Candoro Marble Works I couldn't stay long but I was very impressed. I couldn't believe that a place so arcitectually beautiful would be tucked away in South Knoxville. I learned that Candoro was designed by a famous architect named Charles Barber in a style known as Beaux Arts. The building was completed in 1923 and used as a show room for the marble. 

Today Candoro Marble Works isn't open to the general public but is available to be booked for weddings and other events. I would highly encourage anyone to go see it. It is truly a hidden gem in Knoxville. 

Here Comes the Bride!!!

I have always heard Knoxville be referred to as “The Marble City,” but I have never taken the time to research as to why this was. It was interesting to read about the history of the Candoro Marble Works. Candoro was a marble cutting and polishing company that started in 1914. It was the subsidiary of the John J. Craig Company and the marble found here was used across the country in famous monuments. A big boom/ need for this company came about after the Civil War when “East Tennessee Marble” became popular around the country. (Hence the nickname) However, despite the popularity and demand for this marble, there was a sharp decline after World War Ⅱ.

      When I went to go visit this site, I got very lucky. A woman by the name of Marvyl was there. When I pulled up, she was waving at me and was very excited to see me! I felt bad because I was thinking she was just sitting there waiting on us scholars to come check the place out. Turns out she thought I was the bride that was coming to meet her to plan her big day there. Marvyl was the events planner for Candoro, so I got a tour of the entire building along with a history lesson. She is very passionate about getting South Knoxville back into business and bringing attention to Candoro. I got to see each specific room in the building and got to go see the warehouse where the trains used to come pick everything up. The warehouse unfortunately is now owned by someone else so we could not go inside. It’s amazing to see the impact Knoxville once had on the entire country and to see a place with so much history behind it.

Candoro Marble Works - Due Feb 27

For this week's blog, I would love for y'all to head to South Knoxville to go visit Candoro Marble Works and also do some research online about the history of the building and the surrounding area. 

I would recommend carpooling with a friend and going for a visit during the day. As a heads up, the building is completely run by volunteers, so it won't be open when you go visit. I have, however, notified the individual who oversees the building, and she's well-aware that Scholars will be roaming around this week!

The address is: 4450 Candoro Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920

Happy Exploring!

Toby Dammit

I know what you're thinking: "Patrick! How could you title your blog post with such vulgar language?!"

Alas, although my mouth sometimes gets me in trouble because I love the words that we're supposed to not say for some fu-- fricken reason, this title is not by any means a bad word. In fact, it is the name of a famous drummer from Knoxville, TN. Now, did I know who Toby Dammit was before going to Wikipedia, searching "famous people from Knoxville" and scrolling down the list before whispering to myself "holy sh-- crap. That's an amazing name"? Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, it's neither here nor there. What matters is what this amazing man has accomplished in his life.

Born Lawrence Edward Crooke, Mr. Dammit grew up in Knoxville through the roaring 60's. He is most famous for his work with Iggy Pop, which is pretty cool. Besides all that, he's had a long, storied career in the music industry. Although, he was not born with his bada-- really cool name, Mr. Toby Dammit has lived up to his name by being a super cool drummer throughout his life! Here's a picture of him, rocking out!



*Disclaimer* Although the article above is short, it is worth noting that everyone else had already taken all of the cool famous Knoxvillians i.e. Quentin Tarantino and Johnny Knoxville. Nonetheless, Toby Dammit is someone who I will always remember from now on. 

John Cullum

John Cullum is a famous actor and singer from Knoxville, Tennessee. Cullum was featured in On the Twentieth Century as well as Shenandoah. Growing up in Knoxville, Cullum went to Knoxville high school as well as The University of Tennessee. During his time at The University of Tennessee, he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and he also played on the tennis team. His first starring role on Broadway was in 1965. He was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 2007.

This Way To Bonnaroo: Ashley Capps

Ashley Capps is a concert producer, music impresario, music-experience innovator, and all around superstar who founded AC Entertainment, a music promotion company in Knoxville that has helped create some of the most immersive entertainment experiences like Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Forecastle Festival, Sloss Music and Arts Festival, Big Ears Festival, and more. The company also manages over a dozen venues across the southeast including the Tennessee Theatre and Bijou Theatre in Knoxville and presenting over 1,000+ concerts annually and offer other event-related services like marketing and promotion.

In 1979, Capps started promoting jazz and blues concerts his senior year of college and worked as as radio host and producer at WUOT. After graduating with a degree in philosophy and religious studies from UT, he opened a nightclub called Ella Guru's in the Old City (where the Melting Pot is now). Ella Guru's eventually shut down but Capps became more ingrained in the entertainment industry when he founded AC Entertainment in 1991. In 1992, they began producing outdoor shows called "Hot Summer Nights" in World's Fair Park which ended when construction began on the new convention center in 1999. When Capps visited Germany, he noticed that the North American festival space was missing mega-sized multi-day outdoor festivals that were common in Europe. Work began on presenting the first Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in 2002 to be held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester. Without traditional advertising of any kind, the festival sold out 70,000 tickets in only two weeks of online sales. 16 years later, Bonnaroo has become a major music festival and a household name across the nation.

I remember the first time hearing about Bonaroo was when I was too young to attend the festival, but saw images and videos from the local Nashville news reporters broadcasting from the festival and always wondered how a giant music festival exists in rural Tennessee, and after some researching I learned a few things about Capps and AC Entertainment. I wrote about him for this blog to share his story more with friends because a lot of people don't know that Capps graduated from UT and started Bonnaroo in Knoxville.

Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino is an American filmmaker born and raised in Knoxville, TN in 1963. He is the mind behind some of today’s most notarized films such as Django Unchained, Kill Bill, and most recently The Hateful Eight. His films have a reputation of being cynical, but long, and leaving you in a twisted disbelief.

I chose to select Mr. Tarantino because I used to have a friend who was a big movie fanatic and would always talk about Quentin Tarantino films. I first watched Django Unchained, but fell asleep half way through due to its length. Sometime last school year I finally watched The Hateful Eight all the way through and thought to myself that the person behind the movie must have some disturbing feelings regarding other human beings.

His films have grown in popularity since the 1990’s. The myth behind Tarantino getting into film writing is he met Lawrence Butler at a Hollywood party, where he encouraged Quentin to write a screenplay. In 1987 this turned out to be My Best Friend’s Birthday. Later on the reel of film was destroyed in a fire, but the basis of this play turned out to be the plot behind the film True Romance, written by Tarantino.

Many of the actors Tarantino chooses to work with today are the same ones who started with him creating Reservoir Dogs in 1992. He also has a strong allegiance to traditional film which was seen when he bought the New Beverly Cinema in 2010. It had been shared before that he is skeptical of digital. He stated, “As long as I'm alive, and as long as I'm rich, the New Beverly will be there, showing films shot on 35mm.”

*All images are from Google images.

Dale Dickey

Dale Dickey is an award-winning actress that has starred in multiple films and television shows. She has worked with some big stars including Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, and Chris Pine. She grew up in Knoxville and graduated from Bearden High School. Then, she attended the University of Tennessee from 1979 to 1984 before she left for her aspiring acting career. She has since been know as being a character actress and is finally been getting the recognition that she deserves the past couple of years. She played Patty in My Name is Earl for 19 episodes and she was in Breaking Bad for 2 episodes. This lead up to her big moment when she was casted as Merab in in Winter’s Bone with Jennifer Lawrence. Merab is a strong mountain woman who ends up helping Jennifer Lawrence’s character find her dad. She won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for her role in Winter’s Bone. Afterwards, she starred in True Blood for 12 episodes as Martha Bozeman and Justified for 4 episodes as Judith. In 2016, she has a role in Hell or High Water which I heard is a great movie. It stars Chris Pine and Ben Foster as brothers trying to save their ranch by robbing banks. I chose Dale Dickey because she continues to pick interesting roles in film and television whether they are indie roles or bigger budget films. She represents the Knoxville film community very well.