General Building
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General Building
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| Location | 625 Market Street Knoxville, Tennessee |
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| Coordinates | 35°57′47″N 83°55′07″W / 35.96306°N 83.91861°WCoordinates: 35°57′47″N 83°55′07″W / 35.96306°N 83.91861°W |
| Area | .1 acres (400 m2) |
| Built | 1875 |
| Architect | Barber & McMurry; Worsham Brothers |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 88000174 |
| Added to NRHP | March 8, 1988 |
The General Building, also called the Tennessee General Building or the First Bank Building, is an office high-rise located in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Constructed in the mid-1920s, the 15-story building is the only high-rise designed by Charles I. Barber, and has over the years housed the offices of dozens of banks, physicians, and various financial and architectural firms. The Lexington, Tennessee-based First Bank is the current anchor tenant. In 1988, the General Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture and its role in Knoxville's commercial history.
The General Building is a 15-story "L-shaped" building rising on the northwest corner of Church Avenue and Market Street. By 1958, a four-story annex had been added to the rear of the building, giving the first four stories a square shape, rather than an L-shape. The first three stories of the Church and Market facades are covered with a rusticated limestone veneer. All four corners are delineated by concrete quoins along the entire height of the building, and the roof is decorated with a terra cotta cornice. The elevator penthouse atop the building typically bears the name of the anchor tenant (currently First Bank).
The main facade, facing Market Street, consists of three arched openings, with the north opening leading to the general lobby, the south leading to the bank lobby, and the middle opening containing a window. The bank lobby is the most elaborate interior room, consisting of arched ceilings and a second-story mezzanine with a balustrade. The general lobby contains marble floors and bronze-plated elevator doors. Much of the building's interior was extensively remodeled in the early 1970s.
The General Building is situated near the heart of the Knoxville's Central Business District. Gay Street lies one block to the east, Market Square lies two blocks to the north, and the courthouse and other municipal buildings lie just over a block to the south. The cluster of buildings across the street to the south were listed on the National Register as the South Market Historic District in 1996.
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