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.