Scruffy Little City

The Oliver Hotel is located in Downtown Knoxville, just a few steps away from Market Square. With a Tennessee Theater-sequel sign outside the entrance, the building appears as a Knoxville landmark. Large, wooden doors greet you on your way in, and the lobby is fairly small. The hotel was built in 1876, originally as a bakery. A little over one hundred years later, the building was renovated into a hotel that welcomed visitors for the World's Fair in 1982. Although what was once a little known secret, the Oliver is also home to a speakeasy, "The Kern Library". If you don't know to look for it, you'll likely miss it. But, in the alley there's a red light that is illuminated when the speakeasy is open.
Stop by sometime on your way to Market Square to get a glimpse of Knoxville history.