Chances are you’ve walked through Warehouse Row + admired the massive wooden beams, hardwood floors and chic decor. But have you stepped outside on Market Street to appreciate the intricate detailing + history of the buildings’ facades?
A great example of adaptive reuse, Warehouse Row has an entire century of history behind it. From the site being cleared for development in 1903 to the buildings being added to the National Register of Historic Places list in 1984 + beyond, we’ve culled together a timeline of Warehouse Row, plus info on each building’s exterior architectural details + fun facts so you can take a virtual history tour.
Pro tip: The buildings on the list are ordered from left to right – 1118 to 1148 Market St. – as they appear if you are facing the warehouses along the street. Make this a walking tour by heading to Warehouse Row + seeing if you can identify the features described.
You’ll basically be a Chattanooga tour guide after this.
Warehouse Row’s place in Chattanooga history 🏙️
Warehouse Row is unique as the city’s only example of row-style commercial warehouses that were common throughout the country at this time. The buildings are also significant to Chattanooga’s history because of their connection supporting the commerce + industry boom that followed the city’s establishment as an important railroad + transportation hub.
Quoteworthy:
“Warehouse Row is a great example of Adaptive Reuse – a term used when historic property that was built for one purpose has been converted into another use – more fitting to modern demands,” said Ann Gray, executive director of Cornerstones, Inc. “It is a great example of historic preservation and has been referred to as such by state and federal recognition and publications… We love and embrace the architecture and the history of this unique block of downtown buildings – it really adds to the downtown district.”
Timeline of Warehouse Row (c. 1903) 🏗️
Warehouse Row sits on property once known as the Stone Fort area. Prior to the warehouses being built, the site contained a natural stone mass that became part of a series of fortifications used by the Union forces to protect the city during the Civil War.
Following the war, out-of-state investors purchased the site and formed the Stone Fort Land Company with the intent to build commercial developments.
1903: The Stone Fort Land Company, now under the ownership of Z.C. Patten + John Lupton, obtained approval to extend a railroad line to the property and began clearing the site for development.
1904-1906: The next few years saw the development of the northern block of buildings. The first warehouse was constructed by the Stone Fort Land Company in 1904 + it housed Trotter Brothers Wholesale Grocers. The next three buildings completed housed Stagmaier & Fletcher Wholesale Grocers (1905), Tom Fritts Hardware + Archer Paper Company (1906) and James Supply Company (1906).
1907: The four-story Eastern Hotel was completed by Chattanooga News owner J.B. Pound, who also built the Patten Hotel and the Pound Building. The hotel was demolished in 1951 + made way for construction of the Edney Building. The Pound Building, located behind Warehouse Row, was demolished in the 1980s.
1909-1929: The southern block of buildings began with Knox-Thomas-Spears Company (1909), followed by the Betterton-England Shoe Company (1910), Mills & Lupton Hardware Company (1911) and General Electric Supply Corporation (1929).
1984: Spearheaded by local architect Thomas Johnson + historic preservation nonprofit Cornerstones, the buildings that make up Warehouse Row (along with the Edney Building) were added to the National Register of Historic Places list as the Market Street Warehouse Historic District.
1989: Following years of delay, Warehouse Row opened to the public in 1989 as a retail + office complex. The $37-million project was led by Chicago-based real estate firm The Prime Group. When it opened, there were 24+ stores employing 200+ people.
2006: Atlanta-based Jamestown Properties purchased Warehouse Row for $14 million + invested about $20 million to renovate and reimagine the property into a more upscale destination. This was realized with the addition of popular restaurants + return of national brand retailers like J.Crew, Anthropologie + lululemon athletica.
2016: The 260,295-square-foot complex was purchased by The Simpson Organization, with plans to invest additional capital in the building’s infrastructure. With the purchase + opening of Market City Center one year later, the Atlanta-based real estate group became one of the largest real estate owners in the city.
We’ve culled together some tidbits on each building’s exterior architectural details + fun facts to so you can take a quick walking tour. Head on down to Warehouse Row + see if you can identify the features described below.
Pro-tip: The buildings in this list are ordered, from left to right, as they appear if you are facing the warehouses along the street.
Virtual walking tour of Warehouse Row 👟
1118 Market St.
Then: Completed in 1906, the building originally housed the James Supply
Now: Home to Anthropologie on the first floor + Woodhouse Day Spa on the second floor.
What to look for: Four-bay facade, heavy bracketed cornice, brick structural piers have stone capitals and bases, stone sills, stone decorative treatment at each bay division on the fifth floor
1114-1120 Market St.
Then: Completed in 1906, the building originally housed the Tom Fritts Hardware Company, as well as the Archer Paper Company (which was owned by the Stagmaier & Fletcher Company).
Now: Home to lululemon athletica, Hemline + Onward Reserve on the first floor.
What to look for: Terra cotta coping, four-bay facade, brick piers have stone capitals and bases, segmental-arched brick lintels on the fourth and fifth floors
1124-1130 Market St.
Then: Completed in 1905, this building originally housed Stagmaier & Fletcher Wholesale Grocers.
Now: Home to Goodman Coffee Roasters + The Cosmetic Market on the first floor.
What to look for: Four-bay facade, stone piers, facade angles at the centerline to conform with the street change, facade has pedimented parapet roofline with stone capping accentuating the angled feature
Fun Fact: It is likely the most architecturally significant building, as the front of the building forming a “V” shape so that it conforms with the change in the angle of Market Street.
1132-1136 Market St.
Then: Completed in 1904, this building originally housed Trotter Brothers Wholesale Grocers.
Now: Home to J.Crew + Tupelo Honey on the first floor.
What to look for: Terra cotta tile coping, three-bay facade, segmentally-arched brick lintels with stone keystones on the fifth floor, first-floor facade severely altered
Fun Fact: This is the only building where the architect — W.T. Downing of Atlanta — is known. He also designed the Ashland Farms estate for Z.C. Patten, Lyndhurst mansion for J.T. Lupton, the Patten Hotel and buildings for the University of Chattanooga (now UTC).
1140-1142 Market St.
Then: Completed in 1909, this building originally housed the Knox-Thomas-Spears Company.
Now: Home to Embellish, That Glasses Guy + Yves Delorme on the first floor.
What to look for: Stone coping, three-bay facade, segmentally-arched brick lintels on the fifth floor, stone window sills and decorative blocks at fifth-floor level, recessed entrance
1144 Market St.
Then: Completed in 1910, this building originally housed the Betterton-England Shoe Company.
Now: Home to Shadowbox Paperie on the first floor.
What to look for: Stone coping, one large bay width composed of four windows, segmentally-arched brick lintel on the fifth floor with decorative stone treatment, entrance has been altered
1146 Market St.
Then: Completed in 1911, this building originally housed the Mills & Lupton Hardware Company.
Right: Mills & Lupton Hardware Co. building | Photo via Tennessee Historical Commission
Now: Home to The Social + Amanda Pinson Jewelry on the first floor.
What to look for: Three-bay facade, segmentally-arched brick lintels on the fifth-floor level, stepped brick effect on cornice with a stone band, brick piers with stone foundations
1148 Market St.
Then: Completed in 1929, this building originally housed the General Electric Supply Corporation.
Now: Home to Public House restaurant on the first floor.
What to look for: Terra cotta coping, segmentally-arched brick lintels with stone keystones above first floor windows, patterned brick treatment above second-floor windows, flat arch lintels above windows, circular window and decorative brick treatment in facade gable
Fun Fact: This building has three stories, whereas the rest of the warehouses are five-story buildings.
Like we said… basically a Chattanooga tour guide now, right? Ⓟ
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