1812- James Park House

The James Park house was built in 1812 in downtown Knoxville, TN.

The historic marker attached to the house reads:

"James Park House

The foundation for this house was laid by Governer John Sevier on a block bought from Knoxville founder James White in 1797. James Park, pioneer merchant and Knoxville's second mayor, completed the main house in 1812. His son, Dr. James Park, occupied the house until 1912. It subsequently housed a War Work Shop and tearoom for the Red Cross, the Reaves-Leach infirmary, and the Knoxville Academy of Medicine. The Gulf & Ohio Railways renovated the house in 2006."

From the publication "The Future of Knoxville’s Past- Historic and Architectural Resources in Knoxville, Tennessee- Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission, October 2006," prepared by the Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission:

“Park (James) House, 422 W. Cumberland. (1812). This two-story Flemish bond brick Federal home has enjoyed a prominent place in downtown Knoxville since its construction. According to legend, the house is built on a lot originally owned by Governor John Sevier, who planned and laid the foundation, and intended to build his town house here when Knoxville was the capital of Tennessee. By 1812, the lot had been purchased by James Park, noted Knoxville merchant, who supposedly used Sevier’s plan to construct this home” (p. 19).

There is an 1898 photo of the Park family, posing outside the James Park house, in the online Knox County Two Centuries Photograph Collection. This collection is part of the Knox County Public Library's Calvin McClung Historical Collection.

On June 28, 2007, the Knoxville News-Sentinel newspaper ran a story about the James Park House, after it was renovated to become the headquarters for railroad operations company Gulf & Ohio Railways Inc. The article says that this is the second-oldest house in Knoxville, which is ridiculous; I can only assume that the author meant the second-oldest house in downtown Knoxville. Despite this, the article has some good information about the history of the James Park House:

"Irish immigrant and merchant James Park built the home, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in 1812. It's considered Knoxville's second-oldest house, behind the 1790s Blount Mansion. Pete Claussen says Park House has 'Knoxville's oldest foundation.'

When Park constructed the house, he used a foundation built by John Sevier, Tennessee's first governor. Sevier built part of a stone foundation and about 5 feet of wall in the 1790s before apparently running out of money. He stopped building and moved to his Marble Springs farm south of Knoxville.

In 1807 Sevier sold the land to James Dunlap. Five years later, Park — the father of 12 who twice was Knoxville's mayor — bought it from Dunlap's estate. In the 1820s, he built an addition that gave his home the shape of the letter 'L.'

The family lived in the house 100 years and sold it in 1912. With various owners, it became offices, a World War I Red Cross workshop and tearoom, and later a medical ear, nose and throat clinic. The Knoxville Academy of Medicine bought the property in 1945 and used it until 2002 for a medical museum, offices, classes and meetings."