National Register of Historic Places

Holston National Bank

Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
Listed
October 1, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
79002446

About this property

The Holston is a condominium high-rise located at 531 South Gay Street in Knoxville, Tennessee. Completed in 1913 as the headquarters for the Holston National Bank, the 14-story building was the tallest in Knoxville until the construction in the late 1920s of the Andrew Johnson Hotel, located a few blocks away. The Holston was designed by architect John Kevan Peebles and today represents the city's only Neoclassical Revival-style high rise. In 1979, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and its prominent position in the Knoxville skyline. Founded in 1890, Holston National Bank had grown to become one of Knoxville's three largest banks by 1913, when it built the first twelve stories of the Holston building. The 13th and 14th stories were added in 1928 after Holston National merged with Union National to create Knoxville's largest bank, Holston-Union. The bank failed in 1930 during the onset of the Great Depression, however, and was replaced the following year by the Hamilton National Bank of Knoxville. Over the next four decades, Hamilton National remained Knoxville's largest bank, at times controlling over half of the city's banking resources. Hamilton National was seized by Jake Butcher's United American Bank in 1975 following a bid war, and the bank moved its headquarters to the nearby Plaza Tower in 1978.

Location

531 S. Gay St.
Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
35.96441, -83.91821

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
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
Old Post Office Building (Additional Documentation)
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0.1 mi
Cowan, McClung and Company Building
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Burwell Building Tennessee Theater
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0.1 mi
Market Square Commercial Historic District
Early Republic
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

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

Questions about this property

When was Holston National Bank listed on the National Register?

Holston National Bank was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 1, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Holston National Bank?

Holston National Bank is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Holston National Bank?

The period of significance for Holston National Bank is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Holston National Bank?

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