Fourth and Gill Tour of Homes and Secret Gardens (Part One)

This past weekend offered so much in the way of downtown and near-downtown fun, that I’m still putting it out on Wednesday. One of our favorite events of the year, the Fourth and Gill Tour of Homes and Secret Gardens occurred on Sunday and Urban Woman and I brought Urban Girl for her first go-round. She’s got a little interest in architecture and design going and the tour offers a lot to anyone with those inclinations.

The tour now offers not only homes, but some lovely gardens along the way and makes for a perfect Sunday afternoon stroll. The homes and beautiful landscaping along the way, while not necessarily a part of the tour, only enhances the effect. Art spotting has evolved into one of my favorite parts of the annual event as so many of the homes include a great range of beautiful or challenging pieces.

A couple of notes before we get going: First, it’s gotten so big and involves so many photographs that I’ve taken to presenting it in two parts. The second part will drop this afternoon. Also, the number of photos for each house or garden will vary, which is largely because as I shoot around people, some of the photographs just don’t turn out so well, leaving more for some homes than others. Finally, all the great information I’ll share in these articles, while in my own words, all come from the endless years of research by Arin Streeter and the text he includes in the tour booklet each year.

The tour starts each year at Central United Methodist Church and they now have a beautiful garden. I’ve photographed the church in previous years, so I didn’t this year (you can search the website for the church and you’ll see them). The second and fifth stops on the tour have already been featured here (and follow that link if you missed them – they are each very interesting) and so I did not include photographs from them in this article.

The home pictured at the top of this article and directly below this paragraph, the Kluttz House, Seidler Home, sits at 629 Luttrell Street. Architecturally, you’ll notice gables on two corners of the home which are clipped, not pointed at the top. It’s a medieval twist that reemerged in the U.S. in the 1800s. Most of the small number of examples found locally were designed by noted Knoxville architect George F. Barber who designed eight homes in the neighborhood.

This particular home has a more direct connection for the first residents, Thomas and Annie Kluttz, who moved in in 1905. Thomas Kluttz, an architect, worked with Barber. After three years they moved out of the home for another in Fourth and Gill, it was rented until 1929, and then sold. Originally built with wood siding, it was purchased as an office in 1949 by the Brick-Layers Union No. 3 who (maybe predictably?) bricked the exterior. The current owners purchased the home in 2018.

The house is truly remarkable for its openness, with exposed beams that remain open to the gable ceilings. The front porch is painted with a lovely geometric design and the first floor remains open save for one small brick partition. The upstairs features lovely nooks and a view out onto a green roof (pictured below).

Check out all the shots below:

The Coffin-Lawson House (Grazank/Miles home) took a reverse course to many of the homes in the neighborhood. While many started as single family homes and eventually turned to rentals, this one, built in 1906, operated as a rental home for its first three years before being purchased in 1912 and moved in with her family. Her son, Hector Coffin, Jr. started Coffin shoes which still operates a West Knoxville storefront.

By the 1940s the home had returned to rental with three apartments inside. One of the renters, Mary Lou Lawson, purchased the home in 1967 and lived there for an additional twenty years. A major renovation of the home in 2014 and the current owners moved in, adding one of the few pools (the only?) in the neighborhood in 2023.

The interior features lots of light-filled airy spaces blended with some of the darker wood you expect to see in the neighborhood, particularly in the form of the beautiful staircase. We also enjoyed the San Francisco and Paris-themed art, as well as the world’s largest Pez dispenser collection (at least it was really big and beautiful. Urban Girl caught her first glimpse of the beautiful tiled fireplaces found in the neighborhood and audibly gasped.

Here’s the full group of photos from this address:

The final home we’ll look at today, 1203 Luttrell Street, the Aycock-Edlen-Elmore House (Wise Home) serves up far more than its share of enchantment. Even the upstairs closet is filled with secret spots. Urban Girl found one and said it’s where she would live. She later found a little grotto in a child’s room and may have liked it better.

The home, built in 1908, was carved from a larger piece of land that had surrounded an earlier home built on the block behind this home. William and Theodora Aycock built it and moved in upon its completion. After several owners, Nathan and Dorothy Elmore purchased the home in 1942 and they and then their son Eddie, who moved into the home when he was four, lived there until 2022. The current owners put the home through major renovations, restoring original woodworking and adding their own (sometimes whimsical) twists.

The home proved an absolute delight to explore, with art, and sometimes a skeleton, popping up in small unexpected places. Built in cabinetry throughout displayed an amble supply of books and a wide range of collectables. A door leading downward warned of a creepy basement (not on the tour). A beautiful modern bathroom and kitchen and a small doggie bath at the back door share space with an eclectic mix of modern and antique furniture.

Here’s the whole group:

I’ll end this installment with photos from gardens at 1026 and 1022 Luttrell Street. Enjoy and check out volume two this afternoon.