Sitting high above the river bluff at the north end of the Gay Street Bridge, the Andrew Johnson Hotel has been a defining feature in Knoxville’s skyline for nearly 100 years and was the tallest in East Tennessee for the first half century of its existence. It is now being restored to its original glory with a modern twist.
The Friends of the Library and Oliver Hospitality are hosting a behind-the-scenes sneak peek event in the iconic building before renovations begin. Meet Me at the AJ is set for 5-9 p.m. on Friday, November 15. Tickets are available at knoxfriends.org/aj-sneak-peak-party/.
Presented by First Century Bank, the one-time-only event is a fundraiser for Knox County Public Library’s Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound (TAMIS). Each ticket includes a complimentary year-long membership to Friends of the Library.
Guests will have the opportunity to see the hotel in its current state and to view renovation plans with project architects from MHM Inc. The Party in the Ballroom features Django jazz and swing music by the Absinthe All Stars as well as vintage footage evocative of the era provided by TAMIS. A VIP option also includes Sunset Cocktails on the Rooftop and a tour of Hank Williams room (at least as best as we can discern!).
“We are thrilled to see this project come to life,” said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs. “Not only will this important building be returned to the tax rolls, but the Andrew Johnson Hotel is central to the history and future of Knoxville. This event is a great chance to see the plans for its incredible transformation.”
Few buildings are more associated with Knoxville’s 20th century history than the Andrew Johnson Hotel. Built in the late 1920s, the new hotel was designed to welcome tourists to the burgeoning Great Smoky Mountains National Park and to provide Knoxville’s social and business class a premier venue for balls and deal making alike.
In its heyday, the hotel lodged renowned guests of all vocations: entertainers, playwrights and even one famous vanishing pilot. A year before her disappearance, Amelia Earhart was discovered to be staying there in the pursuit of a solo drive through the mountains. She reluctantly gave an interview to the press in her room as she ate her dinner. The list of guests is prestigious: Duke Ellington, Tennessee Williams, Sergei Rachmoninoff, Jean-Paul Sartre, King Hussein of Jordan, to name a few.
Without a doubt, the storied building will always be associated with Hank Williams who spent his last night in the hotel. The facts of that evening are fuzzy, but there’s little dispute that on New Year’s Eve, as 1952 turned to 1953, Hank Williams was a guest in the Andrew Johnson Hotel. Whether he left there alive or not will never be known, but Hank’s last night was spent in Knoxville.
Music literally resonated from the rooftop. Broadcast from the 17th floor, WNOX’s popular show, the Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round drew such a large crowd that it overwhelmed the hotel and consequently was asked to move. Maynard Baird’s Southern Serenades played on the rooftop on opening night for the whole downtown to enjoy.
By the 1970s, the dam-shaped Hyatt Regency became the premier hotel, and the Andrew Johnson went into decline. By the 1980s, the building was converted into office space, most recently occupied by Knox County Schools administrative offices. The new owners, Oliver Hospitality, have contracted with MHM Inc. to bring the grand dame back to its original glory with a modern twist.
Mary Pom Claiborne is assistant director for marketing, communications and development for Knox County Public Library.
