By Pete Gawda
The estate of mysterious Coca-Cola heiress Eugenia Williams will soon be open to the public. The Renaissance-Revival style house contained ahead-of-its-time appliances and was built to blend in with the landscape.
Eugenia Williams was something of a recluse who kept to herself in the large house at 4848 Lyons View Pike. Her father, Dr. David Williams Jr., had purchased the distribution rights to bottled Coca-Cola within a 50-mile radius of Knoxville. In the early 1910s, he bought 24 acres on the Tennessee River. By 1916, he had built a two-story farmhouse there and had become a gentleman farmer, planting orchards on the property.
Eugenia Williams was born in 1900 and married Richard Gordon Chandler in 1920. Megan Robertson, director of the Eugenia Williams House, described the couple as “jet setters.” They traveled extensively and acquired a collection of automobiles, including a Duesenberg and a Hupmobile. In 1929, Dr. Williamson died, leaving Eugenia the sole heir to the property with the provision that none of it would revert to Chandler if they divorced.
The couple did divorce in 1936. They had no children, and Eugenia never remarried. Much of her later life remains a mystery. She was very reclusive and was a divorced woman in a very conservative town.
Eugenia was an avid horsewoman and had a stable built on the property sometime after the divorce in the late 1930s. The cost of the stable caused it to be known by reporters as the priciest “mule barn” ever built in Knoxville. That stable can be seen on walking tours of the property.
Eugenia then had her father’s farmhouse torn down and built the existing 10,600 square foot house, which was completed in 1941. It was designed by local architect John Franz Staub and has ornate ironwork, large garden windows and classical Greek motifs.
“The house is absolutely built to entertain,” Robertson told The Focus. The house has a large dining room with the original crystal chandelier and two kitchens with state-of-the-art appliances. These appliances include what is thought to be the first built-in automatic dishwasher in Knoxville, a large commercial-type refrigerator and an electric towel dryer. The service area originally had two bedrooms for live-in domestic staff, although there is no record of such employees. However, in spite of all that, there is no evidence of any social gatherings being held there.
The house is designed to make the best of natural lighting and cross ventilation with large windows extending to the floor and no interior rooms. None of the furniture is original; however, the house has the original walnut parquet floors and original ironwork on the stair railings. A three-car basement garage has electric door openers.
“The house is built like a bunker,” Robertson said. The structure and sub-floors are made of steel and concrete.
In 1983, Eugenia entered a nursing home. The house remained vacant until she died in 1998, when it was willed to the University of Tennessee in hopes it would become the president’s home. That did not come to pass and the house remained vacant until it was purchased in 2020 by the Aslan Foundation, which supports the arts, historic preservation and open spaces.
After a year of research, the foundation began an extensive restoration process on the house and grounds. “We have tried to maintain the historic integrity of the grounds,” Robertson said. She said this will not be a typical museum house with the furnishings viewed from behind velvet ropes. People will be able to sit on the furniture.
In addition to public tours, she said the house will be used for meetings of such civic groups as the Knoxville History Project, the Knoxville Opera and the Knoxville Garden Club.
A total of 1.25 miles of walking trails winds through the estate, which has been landscaped with trees, shrubs and perennials. Invasive plants have been removed, allowing for the restoration of stone paths and trails. New footbridges have been built featuring seating made from fallen trees on the property.
After the grand opening on Saturday, April 11, tours will be conducted on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day. Tours can be booked through Knoxville Walking Tours by calling (865)309-4522, and the cost is $25. On those three days, the grounds will also open for people to walk the trails and enjoy the natural beauty of the estate for free from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
For more information, please visit www.eugeniawilliamshouse.org.
Grand Opening Celebration April 11
10:00 a.m. – Gates Open: Overflow parking for this event will be available at 4823 Old Kingston Pike, see below for details.
10:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremony: The official opening of the property will be marked with music and short remarks in the front motor court of the House.
11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Guided Tours: Tours of the House will be offered every half hour on a first-come, first-served basis. The line for guided tours will be in the front motor court of the House. No pre-reservations are required for this special event, but capacity is limited.
Interior access will typically be available only through ticketed guided tours and cultural events. The April 11 complimentary tours offer a rare opportunity to experience the restored interior at no cost.
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Music on the Verandah: Enjoy live music performed by a string quartet on the back Verandah. Bring a picnic blanket and listen to a varied repertoire of classical and contemporary favorites in a lovely outdoor setting. Performances will occur throughout the day. Stay for as little or as long as you like!
Hydration Stations and Pop-Up Coffee Shop: Complimentary water and lemonade will be available throughout the day in the parking lot and at the Stable Terrace. A pop-up coffee bar with beverages for purchase, operated by Old City Coffee Catering, will also be available in the front motor court of the house.
Parking: Due to the historic nature of the property, on-site parking is limited to 48 spaces. A charming vintage trolley from Knoxvegas Style will shuttle guests to and from overflow parking, located at the west end of the parking lot at 4823 Old Kingston Pike; attendants will be available to assist guests.
For more information about accessibility, please call (865)606-0802 or email info@eugeniawilliamshouse.org.
Final shuttle departs at 4:30 p.m.
Gates close at 5:00 p.m.
