Bijou Theatre (Knoxville)

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Lamar House Hotel
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Location:	803 S.Gay St. Knoxville, Tennessee
Built/Founded:	1818, 1909
Architectural style(s):	Federal; Georgian
Added to NRHP:	December 4, 1975
NRHP Reference#:	75001763

The Bijou Theatre, also sometimes known as the Lamar House/Bijou Theatre, is located on Gay Street, the oldest commercial thoroughfare in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Originally constructed by Thomas Humes in 1818 as a tavern and hotel, the building fronting on Gay Street, along with a later addition to the rear along Cumberland Avenue, operated under a number of different names through the years, but was most well known as the Lamar House. The hotel was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War; Union Brigadier General William P. Sanders died at the Lamar House after being wounded in the Siege of Knoxville. It has also hosted five United States Presidents - Presidents Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes among them. In 1909, the rear wing of the building was replaced by a theater structure, entered through a new lobby cut through Humes's building from Gay Street. Named the Bijou Theatre the auditorium featured two balconies, box seats on either side of the stage, and is notable for its rich gilt ornament. It has been used for opera, comedy, vaudeville and, at its low point, pornography. The Marx Brothers and Dizzy Gillespie are among those who have performed in the main auditorium.

In 1974, the building was threatened with demolition, and a group of concerned citizens organized a successful campaign to save the building. This group eventually expanded their concerns to historic preservation in Knoxville in general, and became Knoxville Heritage. The theater was renovated as a center for the performing arts. Another partial renovation followed 20 years later, but funding remained a problem, and maintenance suffered. By 2005, the theater was in danger of defaulting on its mortgage, and was saved once again by two Knoxville businessmen, who held off foreclosure while the loan was renegotiated. After a fundraising campaign spearheaded by Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam and the award of a federal grant, another renovation followed, repairing water damage, renovating the theater seats, and upgrading the stage with modern lighting, sound, and fly equipment. The Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation now operates the facility. The main auditorium seats just over 700 people. The Lamar House, Thomas Humes's original building, houses service areas, offices, and includes a restaurant on the street level floor.

[edit] References

Isenhour, Judith Clayton. Knoxville - A Pictorial History. (Donning, 1978), pages 108-109.
Knoxville: Fifty Landmarks. (Knoxville: The Knoxville Heritage Committee of the Junior League of Knoxville, 1976), page 15.