National Register of Historic Places

Johnson, Andrew, Hotel

Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
Listed
July 8, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80003840

About this property

The Andrew Johnson Building is a high-rise building in the downtown core of Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1929 as the Andrew Johnson Hotel, at 203-foot (62 m), it was Knoxville's tallest building for nearly half a century. Named for President Andrew Johnson, the Andrew Johnson Hotel was Knoxville's premier hotel from the time of its completion through the 1960s. In its early years, the hotel was popular with foreign dignitaries visiting Knoxville to inquire about the newly created Tennessee Valley Authority, as well as with tourists en route to the newly created Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Country music singer Hank Williams spent the last night of his life at the hotel, on December 31, 1952. The studios of WNOX, which played a role in the early development of country music, were located in the Andrew Johnson in the late 1930s, and musicians such as Roy Acuff became regional stars broadcasting from the building. In the 1980s, it was converted to office space by Knox County. In 1980, the Andrew Johnson Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2017, BNA Associates announced plans to convert it back to a hotel. The plans were approved in 2020. As of 2024, work on the hotel, set to be named Hotel Americana, has not yet begun.

Location

912 S. Gay St.
Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee
35.96141, -83.91555

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.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Johnson, Andrew, Hotel

This page lists Johnson, Andrew, Hotel. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Johnson, Andrew, Hotel report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Blount, William, Mansion
Industrial
0 mi
Craighead-Jackson House (Additional Documentation)
Early Republic
0.1 mi
Knox County Courthouse (Additional Documentation)
Industrial
0.1 mi
Lamar House Hotel (Additional Documentation)
Industrial
0.2 mi
Park, James, House (Additional Documentation)
Industrial
0.2 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
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Johnson, Andrew, Hotel listed on the National Register?

Johnson, Andrew, Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 8, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Johnson, Andrew, Hotel?

Johnson, Andrew, Hotel is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Johnson, Andrew, Hotel?

The period of significance for Johnson, Andrew, Hotel is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Johnson, Andrew, Hotel?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Johnson, Andrew, Hotel will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Knox County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Knox County.

Explore KnoxCounty ›

More historic places in Tennessee

Browse all historic places in Tennessee.

View Tennesseehistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Tennessee history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Tennesseehistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Johnson, Andrew, Hotel will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report