Visit to Knoxville, Tennessee (2013)
The 1982 World’s Fair, formally known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, was held from May 1, 1982 to October 31, 1982. Over 11 million visitors attended. The fair was constructed on a 70-acre site between downtown Knoxville and the University of Tennessee. This was previously a deteriorated Louisville and Nashville Railroad yard and depot. The depot was renovated into a restaurant. A 226-foot steel tower topped with a five-story gold globe was constructed and is called The Sunsphere.
A Visitor Center in the downtown area has a stage for live performances, merchandise, and provides assistance for people visiting Knoxville.
Knoxville’s first Market House, opened on Main Avenue between Walnut and Market Streets in 1816, and the second and third on this square in 1854 and 1897, long served for the sale of farm products and as a colorful center of civic life. In 1863-64 the Market contained a Federal powder magazine, to the uneasiness of citizens. The old Market was replaced by the Mall in 1961.
The Bijou Theater has hosted an impressive array of talent since opening in 1909. Some highlights include: Marx Brothers, Dizzy Gillespie, The Yard Dogs, Phyllis Diller, Wynton Marsalis, Richard Thompson, Avett Brothers, Henry Rollins, John Waters, Ryan Adams. Adrain Belew, The Indigo Girls, Jurassic 5, Rhys Chatham, Dave Matthews, Ani DiFranco, Leo Kottke, Sam Bush, Chet Atkins, Calexico, The Everybodyfields, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Ramones, Tony Bennett, Animal Collective, Ralph Stanley, Dolly Parton, Keller Williams, Scott Miller, John Cullum, Johnny Winter, Leon Redbone, Ray LaMontagne, John Philip Sousa, Sheryl Crow, Ethel Barrymore, Neko Case, The Wailers, The String Cheese Incident, Tallulah Bankhead, The Hackensaw Boys, Alison Krauss, Bobby McFerrin, Jim Gaffigan, Herbie Hancock, Joan Baez, Mel Tormé. Doc Watson, The Dresden Dolls, Montgomery Clift, Lucinda Williams, Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, Edwin MeCain, Dave Barnes, and The Be Good Tanyas.
Blount Mansion during the Civil War
In December 1862, General “Stonewall” Jackson advised a young Belle Boyd to spend some time with her relatives in Tennessee rather than stay in her home State of Virginia. Renowned as a confederate ‘rebel spy,’ Belle faced arrest if found in Union-occupied territory, In February 1863, Belle arrived at Blount Mansion, the home of her cousins and aunt and uncle, Mr. & Mrs. Samuel B. Boyd. Belle wrote of her two month stay in Confederate-controlled Knoxville: The city at this period was gay and animated beyond description. Party succeeded party, ball followed ball, concert came upon concert, and 1 took no thought of time. In September 1863, Union troops took control of Knoxville. Belle no longer stayed in town but Blount Mansion continued to be a premier venue for festive occasions. Belle’s cousins, Sue and Anna Boyd, frequently entertained Union officers in the house. A square grand piano from New York City enhanced the evening gatherings. Period documents reveal that Blount Mansion was a center of social activity in Knoxville for much of the war. The Boyds were in residence at the Mansion starting in 1845, and their heirs did not officially relinquish title of the property until 1919.
Andrew Johnson Hotel
The Andrew Johnson Hotel’s top floor was the original site for WNOX’s live country music variety show The Midday Merry-Go-Round. An early star of the show was a little known fiddler named Roy Acuff. The rowdy fans and musicians who crowded the hotel’s elevator and lobby brought complaints which forced WNOX to hold its live shows elsewhere. On New Year’s Eve, 1952, Hank Williams checked into the hotel for what would be the final hours of his life. Though he was pronounced dead in West Virginia, many believe Williams was dead before his teenaged chauffeur carried him out of this hotel.
Tennessee Theater
The Tennessee Theatre first opened its doors on October 1, 1928, and was hailed as “the South’s most beautiful Theatre.” Designed by Chicago architects Graven & Mayger, the Theatre has a Spanish-Moorish style interior that incorporates elements from all parts of the world: Czechoslovakian crystals in the French-style chandeliers, Italian terrazzo flooring in the Grand Lobby, and Asian influences in the carpet and drapery patterns. Periodic closings in the late 1970s gave way to glimpses of a brighter outlook when the Theatre was purchased in 1981 by James A. Dick. The Theatre then began its gradual shift in programming from a single-screen movie theater to a multi-use performing arts venue, which prolonged its existence but exaggerated its many shortcomings. In 1996, the Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation, a non-profit organization, was founded with the purpose of preserving, maintaining, and operating the Theatre. The Foundation’s Board of Directors was responsible for overseeing and raising funds for restoration and renovation of the building, which began in June, 2003. The former movie palace reopened on January 15, 2005 as a world-class performing arts center—the result of a $25.5 million renovation and restoration project funded through public and private donations. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places and honored as the Official State Theatre of Tennessee, today’s Tennessee Theatre has something for everyone: classical music, vintage films, dance, Broadway, and stellar performances by today’s hottest musicians and yesterday’s favorites.
This sculpture, located in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, is known as The Oarsman. It was created by artist David Phelps and installed in 1988. The whimsical bronze sculpture depicts a man rowing a boat that appears to be half-submerged in the brick sidewalk. The location is at the corner of Church Avenue and South Gay Street.