Take a tour with Preserve Chattanooga to see 65 historic buildings

How long does it take to see 65 historic sites around Chattanooga? Well, that’s completely up to you.

Thanks to funds from Chattanooga Tourism Co.'s Cultural Tourism Advancement Grant, Preserve Chattanooga has launched a database of self-guided tour maps.

While you can see the full map for each area online, we’re dropping a pin on some of our must-sees. Pro tip: The gold star icons represent architectural + historic gems.

Downtown Historic District

• The Read House Hotel | Originally opened as the Crutchfield House in 1847
• The Tivoli Theatre | Opened in 1921 + soon will be fully restored
• Dome Building | Possibly my favorite landmark + showcases Italian Renaissance Revival architecture

Southside

• Baggage Depot | The only Antebellum-era location on the tour + Chattanooga’s oldest standing building
• Grand Hotel | Erected in 1907 as the Terminal Station + now houses Clumpies Ice Cream Co.
• 1517 Mitchell Ave. | Built in the Spanish Revival style + is now open as Common House

Photo by NOOGAtoday

MLK District + Patten Parkway

• Volunteer Building | Tallest site on tour with 12 stories + features a bronze tablet of Andrew Jackson
• 17 Patten Pkwy. | Housed the first franchise of the Coca-Cola bottling plant
• Ross Hotel | First opened as Delmonico Hotel in 1888 + is now known as the Tomorrow Building

Photo by The Dwell Hotel via Chattanooga Tourism Co.

Stone Fort

• Patten Hotel | Once was the stone Fort Jones + was built as the city’s first $1 million skyscraper in 1908
• Customs House | Built in 1892 with limestone + in the Romanesque Revival style
• Columbia Hotel | Now known as The Dwell Hotel with surrounding storefronts

UTC + McCallie Avenue

• Memorial Auditorium | The only municipal auditorium of its time when it was built in 1892
• Patten Chapel | Gothic architecture with an ornate interior + is open for events
• Old Stone Church Tower | One of the earliest stone buildings in the Scenic City

Bonus: Read a little more about these older churches.

The Hunt for R.H. Hunt

• James Building | Hunt’s earliest skyscraper in Chattanooga, built in 1907
• Site of Central High School | Once the main high school in Hamilton County + was razed in 1970
• Chattanooga Public Library | Original home to the library in 1903 + is now headquarters for North American Royalties

Bonus: If you prefer a tour guide, you can join Preserve Chattanooga on Saturday, March 22 for an hour-long tour of the buildings downtown — just RSVP.