2026 Fourth & Gill Tour of Homes & Secret Gardens, Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of my 2026 Fourth & Gill Tour of Homes & Secret Gardens, in which I chase my 7-year-old from address to address by bicycle while attempting to absorb architecture, interiors and landscaping at 5x speed. Sorry it took me so long to circle back; there has, as you may have noticed, been rather a lot happening around town lately. 

Many thanks, again, to Arin Streeter’s meticulous neighborhood history, to which much of the context in this story is owed.

ICYMI, Part 1 took us through the first six sites on the tour. Today we resume our journey at the Worsham House / Martin Home at 1121 Eleanor Street. This one did actually did briefly arrest kiddo’s momentum because (1) his first-grade colleague lives there and (2) they have a pet fish named Zed the Zombie Frankenstein Fish. (We have a cat named Robot Mac ‘n’ Cheese Monster. The imagination economy is thriving among the elementary set.) 

This 1920 brick bungalow with a porch built for long conversations has an interesting story involving some historically significant figures. It was built by Earl and Fred Worsham, second-generation owners of Worsham Brothers Construction. Under their leadership, the firm became a major local force, responsible for projects including the Andrew Johnson Hotel, Church Street United Methodist Church, the Medical Arts Building and First Baptist Church on Main Street. Fred Worsham, his wife Bessie and their son lived here from 1920 to 1926, when the house was sold to William and Maudlean Johnson.

By the time Sean and Sara Martin purchased the property in 2001, it was nearly obscured by an overgrown yard. A poorly constructed enclosed porch with a second story had been added to the rear, but much of the original character remained intact—large windows, tall ceilings, glass-front cabinets and pine woodwork that reflected the Worshams’ craftsmanship.

Both graduates of UT’s College of Architecture who would go on to co-found Open Door Architecture, the Martins undertook a series of thoughtful updates. In 2007, they replaced the deteriorated rear porch with a master bathroom addition. A later renovation added a third bedroom, reworked the bathrooms and introduced a small rear porch, while also addressing structural issues in the foundation and roof. Exterior changes were designed to respect the home’s original Arts and Crafts style, with heavy cedar brackets and compatible detailing, while cedar shingle siding helps distinguish new work from old.

I have few regrets in life, but a major one is that I didn’t invest in a fixer-upper in Fourth and Gill or Old North Knox or Parkridge 25 years ago. 

It is important to emphasize to more recent Knoxville settlers that these historic neighborhoods have not always been the charming storybook neighborhoods they’re often romanticized as now. Some of these now-coveted homes experienced decades of neglect and disinvestment, and an untold number were ultimately lost. The neighborhoods’ revival did not happen accidentally, but through the sustained efforts of residents and advocates who believed in their historic and architectural value.

Of course, 25 years ago, I had no appetite for the DIY work required. Moreover, I was probably part of the problem, as cheap and dilapidated Fourth & Gill house rentals attracted a wave of wayward starving artist types who’d been pushed out of Fort Sanders. I remember many house shows, a party on Deery wherein people took turns wresting one another in a kiddie pool filled with oily ramen noodles (a second party involved pudding), and friends singing “He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” and carrying my now-husband down the middle of Luttrell at probably 3 a.m. It was a different time.  

All of which is to say, Fourth & Gill is a neighborhood with many chapters. As does the Tour of Homes & Secret Gardens, so let’s get on with it!

Now, the next two – one home and one garden – I was actually able to visit earlier in the week and spend some proper time in them. I already shared their photos in a preview of the Tour here. 

First, the Cowell House / Novinger Home at 1018 Luttrell Street. Built in 1905 for Ben P. and Ella K. Cowell, this house reflects both the growth of a family and the evolution of the neighborhood. The Cowells moved here from a few blocks south on Luttrell Street with their two young daughters; by 1915, the household had expanded to six children.

Though its current form reads differently, the house began as a typical Queen Anne cottage—still evident in the bay window on the north façade. Around 1920, a second floor was added in the Craftsman style to accommodate the growing family. The expansion brought larger rooms, taller windows and unusually generous closets, shifting the home toward a more modern layout.

After Ella Cowell’s death in 1956, the house passed to her daughters and was sold in 1961 to Roscoe and Ruth Oxendine, who converted it into apartments, reflecting broader neighborhood trends. Later owners returned it to a single-family residence, preserving details like heart pine floors and oak trim. The current owners, who have been here for nearly 20 years, have continued that stewardship with updates to the kitchen and bathrooms while maintaining the home’s character.

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Nearly across the street is the Parker Garden at 1025 Luttrell. This backyard’s transformation began in 2022 with two very different visions: one homeowner wanted to eliminate the lawn in favor of a dedicated cornhole court, while the other envisioned a layered garden filled with plants and shrubs. The result manages to do both, balancing open space for games with planted areas that soften and shape the yard.

Mature trees, including a Tulip Poplar and a really neat Corkscrew Willow planted in 2009, provide shade over much of the space, helping define areas for gathering, whether around the fire pit or for more casual outdoor hangouts.

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Next stop: the Dr. C.H. Alexander House / Whetsel Home at 1231 Luttrell Street. This property traces back to 1874, when Margaret A. Lockett purchased a sprawling country estate covering roughly what is now two blocks of Fourth & Gill. As development pressed in, she gradually sold off parcels, and the land at 1231 Luttrell was subdivided into building lots in 1914. The house was completed in 1921 and sold to Dr. C.H. Alexander, a dentist, for $5,750.

Born in Speedwell, Tennessee, Dr. Alexander briefly practiced in Kentucky before returning to Knoxville. After several moves, he settled here with his wife Belle and daughter Emma Glenn. By 1930, the household had grown to include Emma Glenn’s husband, their son and a maid. That son, Paul A. Robinson, would go on to practice dentistry in Knoxville for 46 years, just shy of his grandfather’s 54-year career.

After Dr. Alexander’s death in 1943, the house passed through a series of absentee owners and fell into decline, eventually being condemned following a fire in 1996. A neighborhood couple purchased the damaged property in 2003 and undertook an extensive restoration. Today, much of the exterior remains intact, including the distinctive brick porch columns, railing and open-framed stickwork of the porch roof.

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Our next stop SHOULD have been the Brownlow School / Jennings Home at 140 East Glenwood Avenue #110, but with just 15 minutes to go until the tour’s end time Thomas got distracted by a “Free Snacks” sign outside 1310 Luttrell, which was NOT on the tour. The brick Craftsman bungalow, built in 1910, is the last one on your right before you get to Glenwood, and it’s for sale. Knox Native Real Estate was hosting an open house, and in addition to the promise of snacks, I was curious. It is indeed lovely, inside and out and on a 0.4 acre lot. You can view the listing here.

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All of which is to say, we didn’t quite make it to Brownlow but thanks to Arin’s history I can tell you about it anyway! 

Originally constructed as Glenwood School to serve North Knoxville’s growing neighborhoods, the building was later renamed for Colonel John Bell Brownlow, son of Governor William Gannaway “Parson” Brownlow. A Union Army lieutenant colonel during the Civil War, John Bell returned to Knoxville in 1904 and became active in local development.

As enrollment grew, overcrowding led to a 1926 expansion designed by architect Charles L. Barber, son of George F. Barber. Renovations at that time closed the original Luttrell Street entrance and recast the building’s earlier Craftsman influences in a Colonial Revival style, then considered more fitting for a civic structure. The school continued serving elementary students into the 1990s before falling into disrepair.

After a fire destroyed nearby McCallie School, Fourth & Gill residents rallied to preserve the building. Renovation efforts began in 2008, and by 2009 it reopened as Brownlow School Lofts, with 35 condominium units. Set within former classrooms, the gymnasium and even the principal’s office, the units retain distinctive layouts and original architectural details.

Brownlow School is a wonderful example of civic furniture that has evolved to meet the changing needs of its community. As has Fourth & Gill itself, where generations of residents have nurtured its distinct sense of place through stewardship, reinvention and no small amount of stubborn affection. You can learn more about the neighborhood at the website here.