Fidelity Building, Knoxville

Fidelity Building, Knoxville

Constructed in 1871 for the wholesale firm Cowan, McClung, and Company, the Fidelity Building is a four-story, three-bay brick office complex situated in Knoxville. Originally designed in an Italianate style, the building featured a central pediment and balustrade, and Corinthian column-flanked storefronts. However, these elements were removed during extensive remodeling in 1929. It served as the home of Fidelity-Bankers Trust Company during the mid-20th century and has since been refurbished for office use.

The Fidelity's first-story Gay Street facade, reflecting the 1929 remodeling, features an ashlar veneer with an eagle-and-garland frieze atop a recessed entrance. Except for a one-story addition made in the early 1980s, the rear of the building remains mostly unaltered from its 1871 design. Inside, the building's central hall boasts gray marble walls and floors, square Corinthian columns, and a design that reflects the 1929 remodeling.

In recognition of its contribution to Knoxville's late-19th-century wholesaling industry and its remarkable architecture, the Fidelity Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Knoxville. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Fidelity Building on Map

Sight Name: Fidelity Building
Sight Location: Knoxville, USA (See walking tours in Knoxville)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Knoxville, Tennessee

Create Your Own Walk in Knoxville

Create Your Own Walk in Knoxville

Creating your own self-guided walk in Knoxville is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Knoxville’s Historical Buildings

Knoxville’s Historical Buildings

Knoxville is often referred to as "The Marble City" for the abundant supply of high-quality marble used in many of its buildings. Noting the wealth of well-preserved historic homes in the city, prominent American architect John Russell Pope even coined his own moniker for it – the "City of Houses".

Indeed, Knoxville's eventful and sometimes turbulent past, dating from...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.2 Km or 1.4 Miles
Downtown Knoxville Walking Tour

Downtown Knoxville Walking Tour

A small town with big-city amenities and a vibrant music scene (a mix of country, bluegrass, and rock), Knoxville, or K-Town as it's popularly shortened by locals, is also often referred to as “the Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains,” for its proximity to the national park area, whose marble quarries, in the past, gave it another moniker, The Marble City.

Knoxville was founded in...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
University of Tennessee Walking Tour

University of Tennessee Walking Tour

Founded in 1794 as William Blount College, The University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville is one of the oldest public universities in the United States. Nowadays, the UT flagship institution features a mix of historic and modern sites which draw many a visitor to the city.

The campus covers nearly 600 acres in downtown’s west end, including over 200 buildings and a faculty of more than 1,700...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.0 Km or 1.9 Miles