*This event is sold out. We are grateful for the overwhelming support of our community.*
The Friends of the Library and Oliver Hospitality are hosting a behind-the-scenes sneak peek event at the Andrew Johnson Hotel before renovations begin. Meet Me at the AJ is set for 6:00 to 9:00 (5:00 for VIP ticketholders) on Friday, November 15. 'Party in the Ballroom' tickets are available at knoxfriends.org/aj-sneak-peak-party/. Presented by First Century Bank, the one-time-only event is a fundraiser for Knox County Public Library's Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound (TAMIS).
Sitting high above the river bluff at the north end of the Gay Street Bridge, the iconic building has been a defining feature in Knoxville's skyline for nearly 100 years and was the tallest in East Tennessee for the first half century of its existence. Few buildings are more associated with Knoxville's 20th century history than the Andrew Johnson Hotel. Built in the late 1920s, the new hotel was designed to welcome tourists to the burgeoning Great Smoky Mountains National Park and to provide Knoxville's social and business class a premier venue for balls and deal making alike.
In its heyday, the hotel lodged renowned guests of all vocations: entertainers, playwrights, and even one famous vanishing pilot. A year before her disappearance, Amelia Earhart was discovered to be staying there in the pursuit of a solo drive through the mountains. She reluctantly gave an interview to the press in her room as she ate her dinner. The list of guests is prestigious: Duke Ellington, Tennessee Williams, Sergei Rachmoninoff, Jean-Paul Sartre, King Hussein of Jordan, to name of few.
Without a doubt, the iconic building will always be associated with Hank Williams who spent his last night in the hotel. The facts of that evening are fuzzy, but there's little dispute that on New Year's Eve, as 1952 turned to 1953, Hank Williams was a guest in the Andrew Johnson Hotel. Whether he left there alive or not will never be known, but Hank's last night was spent in Knoxville.
Music literally resonated from the rooftop. Broadcast from the 17th floor, WNOX's popular show, the Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round drew such a large crowd that it overwhelmed the hotel and consequently was asked to move. Maynard Baird's Southern Serenades played on the rooftop on opening night for the whole downtown to enjoy.
By the 1970s, the dam-shaped Hyatt Regency became the premier hotel and the Andrew Johnson went into decline. By the 1980s, the building was converted into office space, most recently occupied by Knox County Schools administrative offices. The new owners, Oliver Hospitality, have contracted with MHM, Inc. to bring the grand dame back to its original glory with a modern twist.
At the fundraising event on November 15, 2024, guests will have the opportunity to see the hotel in its current state and the plans for its renovation. The Party in the Ballroom features Django jazz and swing music by the Absinthe All Stars and vintage footage evocative of the era provided by TAMIS. A VIP option also includes Sunset Cocktails on the Rooftop and a tour of Hank Williams room (as best we can discern!).