Historic James Park House

Denark served as CM At-Risk for the restoration of this historic building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and currently serves as the headquarters for the Gulf and Ohio Railways.

The house’s foundation was built by Governor John Sevier in the 1790s, and the house itself was built by Knoxville merchant and mayor, James Park, in 1812, making it the second-oldest building in Downtown Knoxville after Blount Mansion.

The 2.5 story, L-shaped house has a modern service wing located at the rear. The restorations, guided in part by old photographs and architectural research, included the re-addition of a picket fence surrounding the property, reconstruction of the house’s Victorian-style front porch, rebuilding of the front stairs, and the reshaping of the chimneys. An arched fireplace in the basement, the design of which is nearly identical to a fireplace in the nearby Craighead-Jackson House, was also restored.

The floors of the modern addition to the house have been painted with various historical maps of Knoxville. One of the house’s restrooms contains a ceiling-to-floor safe and another restroom is modeled after the restroom of the Red Sage restaurant in Washington, D.C.