Daylight Building

The Daylight Building is an art-deco styled three-story building built in 1927 by Benjamin Sprankle in downtown Knoxville just one block away from market square. It's named by the "Daylight Building" because of its design to allow natural light to illuminate the interior. It also features a glass clerestory on the roof which allows for natural light to enter the core of the building. Initially, the building provided retail space on the ground floor and office space on the second floor and by 1934 it primarily housed TVA engineers and internal agency services. TVA continued to use the space into the 1980s until their office tower was constructed north of market square in 1976. Once TVA had completed their transition into their new office building, the Daylight building sat vacant for about 15 years until a property developer bought it and started redeveloping it into a mixed-use facility with retail space on the ground floor featuring Union Ave Books, Cruze Farm Milk Bar, JC Holdways, Coldstream Market, and Wild Lavender Spa and Wellness. The second floor and garden level was converted for residential units of 1 and 2 bedrooms. Most of the restored building still has the same features of when it was first built and occupied. I chose this place because I am always so fascinated with the design of the building itself - it doesn't really match the other architecture downtown and the giant windows make it seem so happy inside the stores all the time. I also really like the big trees along Union Avenue that seem to brighten up a small strip of land in the barren, concrete downtown so I like walking by the building even if I'm not going to stop inside Union Ave Books (but you should totally check it out - Buy local!).

Westwood House

The Westwood house is one of the many beautiful houses along Kingston Pike that make the drive so stunning. This house however is no longer a residential home - it is one of Knoxville's treasured historical homes. The house was originally built by John Edwin Lutz and his wife Ann Adelia Armstrong Lutz as a "wedding promise" for each other in 1890. Mrs. Lutz was the first artist in Tennessee and her art is featured all throughout the home. This house is one of "The Three Sisters" along Kingston Pike. The other two are Crescent Bend and the Bleak house.

The Westwood house is now used as a wedding venue for future couples. Because of the "wedding promise" the Lutz's made to each other, it is appropriate for the mansion to now hold weddings and other special parties.

I chose this location because not many people know it's a historical home or wedding venue (at least I didn't). A good friend of mine is actually the Director of Events for the Westwood house and she helps to preserve the building and put on wedding events. The house is so beautiful on the inside. They have tried to not renovate too much of the house so it could keep it's original parts. And you will notice that once you're inside.

If you've ever driven down Kingston Pike, which just about everyone has, you are sure to see this beautiful house! I would absolutely go back. It's full of so much history, art, and romance.

Historic Ramsey House

 
*image from: http://www.ramseyhouse.org

The historic Ramsey House is located at 2614 Thorngrove Pike in Knoxville, TN. I chose this location because I have always been fascinated with history and thought I would discover more about The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Colonel Francis Alexander Ramsey is conderidered to be Knoxville’s first builder. The home pictured above was constructed of pink marble and blue limestone in 1797. Colonel Ramsey was one of the original trustees of Blount College which in 1879 became what we know today as The University of Tennessee. Today, tours are conducted of the grounds decorated with furniture from the time period of which the house was built. Many of decorations are original wedding gifts purchased for Francis Ramsey’s son, J.G.M. Ramsey to Peggy Barton Crozier. The home also displays many original handcrafted and hand carved dolls.

Ramsey was an architect who learned his craft in Charleston, South Carolina. Five years after Ramsey originally designed the house, he added the first kitchen to ever be attached to a house. Traditionally, before, the kitchen would be an outside structure that was accessible to the house through a breezeway.

I would visit the site again because when I went I did not take a tour, but rather I just went to explore the grounds.

Blount Mansion

I have heard of Blount Mansion many times while I've been at UT, but I had never learned much about it so I decided it would be a good historical place to learn about. Blount Mansion was the home of William Blount and construction began on the house in 1792. The Blount Mansion was built before Knoxville was even "Knoxville". Blount was a signer of the U.S. Constitution and was the territorial governor appointed by President George Washington. Blount Mansion was the site of the territorial capitol as well as Blount's family home. Besides housing Blount, the mansion has been home to many other Tennessee governors, prominent families, and was even slum housing. After many years of being allowed to deteriorate, the mansion was about to be sold to become parking for the downtown area when a group of Knoxvillians realized what would be lost. Thanks to these people, Blount Mansion was preserved in 1926 and restored in 1930. Blount Mansion is the only National Historic Landmark designated by the National Park Service in Knoxville.

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.

Fort Dickerson

Today I ventured to Fort Dickerson. With the entrance located off of Chapman Highway, I drive past this area numerous times during the week and have been seeing the renovations that have been taking place over the past year. That piqued my interest and I decided to go explore the area today.

When I first parked my car, I got out and went to look at the overlook and soon learned that the Quarry that I have been to numerous times is called the Fort Dickerson Quarry. I was presented with an amazing overlook of the quarry and the view was so calm.

Next, I ventured to the actual fort that was used during the Civil War. Fort Dickerson was constructed in 1863 and was built with the main emphasis to keep the Confederate Army out of Knoxville. The fort did its job when the Confederate Army planned to siege Knoxville later in 1863, but decided to take a different route when they encountered Fort Dickerson and the man-power that was positioned there.

The outline of the fort is depicted in the picture above. There are 3 replica cannons within the fort area that show where they would have been placed during the Civil War. Currently, the City of Knoxville is giving Fort Dickerson a make-over and making it more visitor-friendly. There was a smell of fresh mulch as you could easily tell that mulch had just been laid down throughout the fort. It was a nice day to be outside and I enjoyed visiting Fort Dickerson and learning a little more about the earlier history of Knoxville.

Historic Ramsey House

The Historic Ramsey House is a true look into Knoxville’s past. Located past downtown in southeast Knoxville, Ramsey House was built in 1797 by architect Thomas Hope for Colonel Francis Alexander Ramsey. Hope is actually credited with being Knoxville’s first builder! A long withstanding symbol of our marble city, Ramsey House is constructed completely of Tennessee pink marble as well as limestone. Although it serves various purposes today than it once did housing the Ramsey family, the interior and exterior architectural features are true to the original design.

The Ramsey family has a history of strong ties to the Knoxville community. Colonel Francis A. Ramsey, the patriarch of the family, is by far the most significant figure. He was one of the founding trustees of Blount College better known today as our lovely University of Tennessee. His sons also left their mark with one writing a historical novel about our state named “The Annals of Tennessee” and the other becoming the first elected mayor of Knoxville. Today their former home has been turned into a museum and event venue with the driving mission to “educate, preserve, and interpret the history and cultural life of early Tennessee and the important role of the Ramsey Family.”

I chose this location because it was one I’ve heard of before, but never really seen or experience myself! I unfortunately did not get to visit due to its limited tour schedule, but I plan to make an in person visit one of these days here soon. I hear they have a cute little spot for picnics which would be the draw for me. All in all, it goes to show that there is always more to learn about this place I call home!