Adjacent to the main rail yard of the city, it served as the Knoxville freight depot for the Southern Railway from 1904, when it was built, until the mid 1960s when passenger rail service was discontinued as a result of the shrinking population of farm centers and the rise of alternate economic and distribution systems in the region.
This project is located on the northern edge of downtown Knoxville in an area referred to on the National Register of Historic Places as the “Southern Terminal and Warehouse Historic District”. In the late 19th century the district became the wholesaling center of the city and the surrounding region. When this depot was built in the early 1900s, Knoxville was the third largest wholesale market south of the Ohio River.
Pre-renovation. After a long period of vacancy, the depot was repurposed as an interior design office and furniture dealer showroom in 1985.
In 2012 the current owner, who has an interest in preserving and maintaining historic properties, purchased the building with the vision of using it as a banquet hall and events space. The renovation strategy was to provide as much open space as possible while maintaining the original historic character of the building.
Pre-renovation.
Historic freight doors were made operable.
Restored is the sense of perpetual change- once through the constant coming and going of train cars and cargo, now through a diverse calendar of weddings, banquets, and fundraisers continually flowing through the depot.
