Andrew Johnson Hotel, Knoxville
The Andrew Johnson Building is a high-rise office complex in downtown Knoxville, completed in 1930. At 203 feet (62 m) it was the city's tallest building and the cornerstone of the downtown skyline for half a century, from 1928 to 1978.
The total of its 18-story height is made up of 15 floors, a mezzanine, and a two-story penthouse. The building is rectangular, with a recess running up the middle of the west facade. The ground floor extends out beyond the rest of the building to provide a base for the unique second story, which includes an open-air pavilion. Sitting at the very top of the building is the penthouse, which is seven bays wide and adorned with brick Ionic pilasters.
Originally home to the Andrew Johnson Hotel, this building has seen many esteemed guests over the years. Among them were Amelia Earhart (American aviation pioneer who stayed at the Andrew Johnson in 1936 鈥� the year before her disappearance), jazz legend Duke Ellington, and the great Russian composer and pianist, Sergei Rachmaninoff, who stayed here after his performance at the University of Tennessee Alumni Hall in 1943.
Among other noteworthy personalities logging at the Andrew Johnson was the country music star, Hank Williams, who spent here the last few hours of his life. On New Year鈥檚 Eve of 1952, he checked into the hotel for what would be his final day. Though Williams was pronounced dead in West Virginia some time later, many believe that he had already been dead when leaving the hotel. Witnesses said, Williams was carried out semiconscious, apparently injected with some painkillers, to his automobile by a chauffeur and a hotel employee, who wondered about Williams's condition, and later suggested that he might have been dead at that point. Hank Williams was only 29.
In 1980, the Andrew Johnson Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Currently, it is used for office space by Knox County.
The total of its 18-story height is made up of 15 floors, a mezzanine, and a two-story penthouse. The building is rectangular, with a recess running up the middle of the west facade. The ground floor extends out beyond the rest of the building to provide a base for the unique second story, which includes an open-air pavilion. Sitting at the very top of the building is the penthouse, which is seven bays wide and adorned with brick Ionic pilasters.
Originally home to the Andrew Johnson Hotel, this building has seen many esteemed guests over the years. Among them were Amelia Earhart (American aviation pioneer who stayed at the Andrew Johnson in 1936 鈥� the year before her disappearance), jazz legend Duke Ellington, and the great Russian composer and pianist, Sergei Rachmaninoff, who stayed here after his performance at the University of Tennessee Alumni Hall in 1943.
Among other noteworthy personalities logging at the Andrew Johnson was the country music star, Hank Williams, who spent here the last few hours of his life. On New Year鈥檚 Eve of 1952, he checked into the hotel for what would be his final day. Though Williams was pronounced dead in West Virginia some time later, many believe that he had already been dead when leaving the hotel. Witnesses said, Williams was carried out semiconscious, apparently injected with some painkillers, to his automobile by a chauffeur and a hotel employee, who wondered about Williams's condition, and later suggested that he might have been dead at that point. Hank Williams was only 29.
In 1980, the Andrew Johnson Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Currently, it is used for office space by Knox County.
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Andrew Johnson Hotel on Map
Sight Name: Andrew Johnson Hotel
Sight Location: Knoxville, USA (See walking tours in Knoxville)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Knoxville, USA (See walking tours in Knoxville)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Knoxville, Tennessee
Create Your Own Walk in Knoxville
Creating your own self-guided walk in Knoxville is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Knoxville鈥檚 Historical Buildings
Knoxville is often referred to as "The Marble City" for the abundant supply of high-quality marble used in many of its buildings. Noting the wealth of well-preserved historic homes in the city, prominent American architect John Russell Pope even coined his own moniker for it 鈥� the "City of Houses".
Indeed, Knoxville's eventful and sometimes turbulent past, dating from... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles
Indeed, Knoxville's eventful and sometimes turbulent past, dating from... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles
University of Tennessee Walking Tour
Founded in 1794 as William Blount College, The University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville is one of the oldest public universities in the United States. Nowadays, the UT flagship institution features a mix of historic and modern sites which draw many a visitor to the city.
The campus covers nearly 600 acres in downtown鈥檚 west end, including over 200 buildings and a faculty of more than 1,700... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
The campus covers nearly 600 acres in downtown鈥檚 west end, including over 200 buildings and a faculty of more than 1,700... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles
Downtown Knoxville Walking Tour
A small town with big-city amenities and a vibrant music scene (a mix of country, bluegrass, and rock), Knoxville, or K-Town as it's popularly shortened by locals, is also often referred to as 鈥渢he Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains,鈥� for its proximity to the national park area, whose marble quarries, in the past, gave it another moniker, The Marble City.
Knoxville was founded in... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
Knoxville was founded in... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles