National Register of Historic Places

Cowan, McClung and Company Building

Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
Listed
July 11, 1984
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
84003566

About this property

The Fidelity Building is an office building in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Initially constructed in 1871 for the wholesale firm Cowan, McClung and Company, the building underwent an exterior renovation and was converted to Fidelity-Bankers Trust Company in 1929 and has since been renovated for use as office space. In 1984, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and its role in Knoxville's late-nineteenth century wholesaling industry. Cowan, McClung and Company was formed in 1858 by Knoxville merchants James H. Cowan, Perez Dickinson, and several members of the McClung family. During the years following the Civil War, the company became one of the most profitable in Tennessee as Knoxville's wholesaling market grew exponentially. The company erected its four-story headquarters on Gay Street's 500-block in 1871, and occupied the building until 1919. Another wholesale firm, Anderson-Dulin-Varnell, operated out of the building until 1929. The Fidelity-Bankers Trust Company occupied the building from 1929 until 1964. The Fidelity Building is currently the headquarters of the wholesale grocery company, H. T. Hackney. In May 2011, the company announced plans to open a grocery store on the building's ground floor.

Location

500-504 Gay St.
Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
35.96532, -83.91802

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Mechanics' Bank and Trust Company Building
Industrial
0 mi
Gay Street Commercial Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Holston National Bank
Industrial
0.1 mi
Market Square Commercial Historic District
Early Republic
0.1 mi
Burwell Building Tennessee Theater
Civil War
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Knoxville (Fort Sanders)
1863Civil War
0.4 mi
Occupation of Knoxville (Burnside)
1863Civil War
0.4 mi
Skirmish at Knoxville (Confederate advance probes)
1863Civil War
0.4 mi
Assault on Fort Sanders (Knoxville)
1863Civil War
1.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Cowan, McClung and Company Building listed on the National Register?

Cowan, McClung and Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 11, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Cowan, McClung and Company Building?

Cowan, McClung and Company Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Cowan, McClung and Company Building?

The period of significance for Cowan, McClung and Company Building is recorded as the industrial era.

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