Follow The Yellow Brick Road: July

We finally get the chance to go down my favorite road in America! As much as I would love to jump right into all of the wonderful things I love about Gay Street, we have to talk about Brad Renfro first.

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn team up to find a treasure and save a local man from being framed or a murder he did not commit. 

Brad Renfro is a Hollywood cautionary tail. There really isn't all that much that I really found out about him. Not that I am digging super deep for all of these stories but what I could find is that he lived with his Grandmother in Knoxville. It doesn't really even say where. Not sure where he parents were, or if they were in his life at all. He was discovered when he was 11, Tom and Huck was he second movie. The thing is that he died when he was 25 due to a drug overdose. He was in about 20ish movies and was friend with James Franco. Again not really sure how because not a lot of info. However, it seemed that didn't have the best life before he got into movies and it didn't seem to help him either. While he performance in this Disney film is funny and sweet, it seemed like he real acting role was trying to hide his pain. 

Now for the most well known street in Knoxville, Gay Street. 

Bijou Theatre and Lamar House

1909 may have been with the Bijou Theatre came to life but the building that it's connected with has a much broader history. The Lamar House was originally a hotel built in 1817. It's seen it many shares of changes to our history over the years. It has been rumored to be haunted for many years. Two Civil War General died within it's walls. The theatre came about during the prime of Vaudeville and because of that we have record of many of greatest acts to come here. One being The Marx Brothers. In the 60s it started to decline and ran as a porno movie theater for a few years and then was threatened to be torn down. However, the place was saved an renovated in the 70s. Since then it has been a venue for several world class performers and part of the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville. 

Tennessee Theatre

I could write pages and pages on the great Tennessee Theatre. However, I will keep it short. The Tennessee came to life on October 1, 1928. The original idea for the theatre was to be a movie house and have silent movies there. However, it was around that time when pictures started to talk and so did the theatre. Movies were shown there all they way up until about the 70s with everyone started to move away from Downtown. 2005 everything changed for the Tennessee. A huge renovation took place and changed the movie palace into a true to life theater. It still hosts movies when it's not taking on world famous singers or Broadway shows! 

Andrew Jackson Hotel

At the taking of this picture, the Andrew Jackson Building is not a hotel. However, an article released earlier this year that the once great hotel, now office building, is going to become and hotel once more! This building has a very interesting history. It was completed in 1929 right before the Smokies became a National Park. However, the fact that Amelia Earhart stayed here a year before he disappearance is something that is very rarely mentioned. The best story I have learned though it the fact the Hank Williams Sr. spent his last night of his life here. There are speculations that the building is haunted and it's by Hank Williams ghost. There are reports that say that he died in the hotel and was put in the back of the cab, others say that he was alive and got into the cab. Tennessee Williams also stayed here when he was in town for his father's funeral and Duke Ellington stayed here as well. 

Blount Mansion

Home to the first Governor of Tennessee, Blount Mansion is actually a rather small home located here in Knoxville. It seems that the name mansion is used because it homed several Governors and Mayors in it's years here. The house was built in the late 1700s and then by the early 1900s came around it was largely forgotten. in 1925 the house was saved from demolition and has since been turned into a home museum. 

Plaza Tower

The tallest building in East Tennessee was built in 1978, and has been a banking building pretty much since then. The building got some national recognition when United American Bank crashed and the president was arrest for Fraud.  

Journal Arcade Building 

Once of the headquarters of a newspaper of the same name in 1924.

Farragut Hotel/Hyatt Place 

I have mentioned before that Knoxville is a big sports town. However, not everyone knows how much of college sports we owe this building. In 1932, the SEC was created in the ballroom of the hotel. The Yankee's baseball team was also here in the 30s for some exhibition games and some of the greatest players to ever live stayed here, including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. 

Oarsman

The Oarsman came shooting out of the brick laid ground in 1988. However, locals know at "The Rowboat Man". I didn't even know that it had any other name until I read the book. Some believe that it's a depiction of one of Cormac McCarthy's characters in his book. However, that has neither been confirmed or denied. 

East Tennessee History Center 

This lovely museum has so much stuff! I went for the first time a few years ago, and from the outside you think that it's only going to take you maybe and hour. I was there for almost five. I am also the person that wants to read and listen to everything. It's so much fun though! You learn so much about Knoxville and the surrounding areas. ETHC has been founded since 1834 but was not a museum until 1874. The building expanded in 2003 to better display the wonderfully amazing history of East Tennessee. 

Mechanics Bank and Trust Building 

Radio and murder is what this building is known for. In 1888 a gun fight happened right outside the building. The fight ended up having the same body count as the O.K. Carrol did not long before. The three main shooters were all killed simultaneously. The building also held and radio station and the site of the first television broadcast in the 50s. 

Miller's Department Store

A 70 year old Department store building the survive the biggest fire in Knoxville's history. 

Tailor Lofts Building

Knoxville's oldest building. Also survived the fire. 

Century

The last building to survive the fire on Gay street. 

Phoenix

The Phoenix was built after the fire and name was chosen to represent the rebuilding efforts after the fire. 

Holston

Originally the tallest building in Knoxville, The Holston hosted the FBI when bootlegging was getting out of control. The building was originally a bank, then a radio station. The building was turned into condo in 2007, and recently added two wonderful restaurants in the basement and ground floor. 

S&W Cafeteria 

The S&W once a luxury cafeteria that was on 4 floors of the building. The cafeteria closed int he early 80s but most of the beautiful structure is still there. It's now the home of Aveda Beauty School. 

Thank you for joining me down this wonderful walk of my city. I think next month we are going to get out of the Downtown area a little bit! It won't be too far but it will be nice to visit some new places!