Media Kit

Where art, history, and nature tell a story—one you’re invited to explore.

Set high above the Tennessee River, the Eugenia Williams House is one of Knoxville’s most intriguing residences—designed by architect John Fanz Staub for Eugenia Williams, a solitary and stylish heiress.

After decades as a private home, the property was gifted to the University of Tennessee upon Eugenia’s death in 1998 and in 2020 was acquired by the Aslan Foundation, which recognized both its architectural and ecological significance as well as its potential as a place for public engagement.

The Foundation’s six-year restoration of the house and its grounds honors Staub’s original design and Eugenia’s vision while opening a new chapter for the site—one that serves as a bridge between Knoxville’s history and its creative future.

With its April 2026 grand opening, the Eugenia Williams House invites visitors to step inside the long-closed gates to experience and explore a grand property. Nature lovers can traverse the trail system, take in Tennessee River views, and picnic on the lawn. History buffs can take a tour of a remarkable 1940s time capsule and attend a lecture. Arts enthusiasts can experience intimate events organized by some of our community’s premier arts and cultural organizations. The 24-acre property is also home to more than 50 species of trees and serves as an ArbNet accredited Level 1 Arboretum.

Planning ahead is essential

House:
Open only for scheduled tours and events. View our calendar (coming soon).
Admission prices are set by partners and vary by event. Pre-registration is required.

Grounds:
Open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
Admission to the Grounds is Free.

Parking is free for all visitors, but space is limited.

Access to the House is available through scheduled, guided tours—offered up to four times per week—or by registering for cultural events. The house is not open for drop-in interior visits. To make the most of your visit, please plan ahead. Tour tickets can be purchased in advance through Knoxville Walking Tours, click here for more information. Event tickets are available through our cultural partners. All upcoming tours and events will be listed on our online calendar (coming soon) with quick links to partner websites for ticket purchase or pre-registration. Pre-registration for all tours and events is required due to limited capacity. The property is also available for private event rentals.

The park-like grounds offer wider access. During open hours of 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, visitors are welcome to enjoy the expansive front lawn, historic stone paths, and wooded walking trails. Please note that the trails and terrain are very steep in places; we encourage guests to explore at their own pace and use caution.

Because of the historic nature of the property, on-site parking is limited and may be full during busy times. Please park only in designated areas and follow guidance from staff or parking attendants when present. An ADA-compliant path leads from the parking lot to the accessible entrance ramp at the House. For the safety and security of the site, the Main and Exit Gates are locked promptly at 5:00 p.m. Vehicles left onsite after hours may be towed at owner’s expense.

Restoring this very private estate began in 2020 with roughly a year of research. The first step was to understand how the property evolved over time, from its earliest days in the hands of Eugenia’s father, through Eugenia’s own transformation of it, and up to the Aslan Foundation’s acquisition nearly forty years after the house was last occupied.
The Aslan Foundation hired Sanders Pace Architects, a longtime collaborator, who worked alongside Harboe Architects of Chicago and Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects of Cambridge to uncover the site’s past and help the Foundation imagine how the house and grounds could serve the public. Their work resulted in a 300-page historic structure report that, together with Staub’s original architectural drawings, shaped the vision for the home’s next era. Working with architects and designers, the Aslan Foundation board and staff were deeply engaged and committed to every detail of the design and each step of the restoration process.

The team quickly determined that a traditional historic house museum model was not right for this property. Although Eugenia left behind an architecturally significant house and landscape, little is known about her. Because her possessions were dispersed according to her will, there are few of them to see. Only her gold-rimmed plates and a small collection of books remain in the house.

The vision of the Aslan Foundation, instead, was to make exploration the property’s guiding purpose, offering Knoxville a place where art, history, and nature converge in meaningful ways. Sustainability—in terms of the estate, its future, and the staffing needed to maintain it—was a driving force in determining the balance of preservation and access. Guests are free to enjoy the expansive grounds during open hours, while the house will host scheduled tours, special programming, and private events.

Programming will include lectures, small exhibitions, and intimate performances presented in collaboration with our cultural partners: the Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Opera, Knoxville Garden Club, Big Ears Festival, Beck Cultural Exchange Center, Knox Heritage, East Tennessee Historical Society, and Knoxville History Project. The house will also be available for private rentals.

The Eugenia Williams House offers a rare glimpse into the work of noted Houston architect John Fanz Staub, who was born in Knoxville and was Eugenia’s childhood friend. The 10,600-square-foot mansion was built in the Regency Revival style, characterized by ornate ironwork—all custom-designed by Staub’s firm—large garden windows, and classical Greek motifs. It also reflects the country house movement, whose advocates sought a retreat from urban life.
The house emulated English homes from the early 1800s but utilized modern materials and conveniences, including what is thought to be the city’s first built-in automatic dishwasher. The home stands out among its peers nationwide: no remodeling was ever done, leaving the interior a time-weathered but remarkably intact version of Staub’s original vision.

Following a year of research into the estate’s history, the house underwent a multi-year, room-by-room restoration led by Knoxville-based Sanders Pace Architecture, a longtime Aslan Foundation collaborator whose previous work includes the historic Candoro Marble Building and Loghaven Artist Residency. Harboe Architects of Chicago—known for restoring National Historic Landmarks by Louis Sullivan, Mies van der Rohe, and Frank Lloyd Wright—worked alongside Sanders Pace on the historic structure report and stabilization plan that informed the restoration.

Notable features of the house and its restoration:

• The home’s structure and subfloors are made of steel and concrete, which is atypical for residential construction and makes it much more like a fortress.

• The kitchen’s original appliances look brand new. The refrigerator is touted as one of the first in Knoxville and has the appearance of an icebox but was routed to a large compressor in the basement.

• Among its most splendid features: Eugenia’s spacious mirrored dressing room, Tennessee marble bathrooms with swivel lights, a double-height rear verandah, and an impressive dining room chandelier that remained intact even as much of the home’s glass was shattered by vandalism during the decades it lay dormant.

• The home’s truly remarkable windows were fully restored. Enormous windows and sliding doors retract fully into the walls while picture windows extend to the floor.

• Substantive changes, limited to areas that originally functioned as service quarters, were made to accommodate accessible public restrooms.

• The building was discreetly modernized with the addition of air conditioning and museum-quality lighting.

• The house is currently furnished with a blend of modern, commercial-grade furniture and antiques. Since it is not a house museum, it has been furnished for use as a cultural center and venue. Guests can sit on the furniture and use the house as a backdrop for celebrations.

• The pictures on the walls are primarily European and American oil paintings from the late 1700s through the early 1900s. They were chosen by the board and the Eugenia Williams House director to complement the historic Regency Revival style of the house.

• To maintain the residential feel of the property, a public parking lot was added just within the gates and largely out of view.

The Eugenia Williams House is more than an architectural gem—it is a landscape reborn. When the Aslan Foundation acquired the property, it was overrun with invasive plants. Historic aerial photos and other images gave hints of what had been lost to time, and what was waiting to be uncovered.
The restoration of the grounds was led by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architects, a firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They are known for their sustainable design, emphasis on native plants, and sensitivity to historic landscape preservation. Local firms performed much of the landscape work, and the Aslan Foundation’s property team played a transformative role, uncovering historic trails and stonework, installing thousands of new plants, and clearing decades of invasive overgrowth. Aslan’s team continues to revive, restore, and maintain this historical gem.

The rolling front lawn was designed under Eugenia’s direction to create a picturesque view of the house. The back of the property maintains the wild garden aesthetic first established by Eugenia’s father. The property’s woodlands and lawns have been carefully restored to reflect those original design choices while enhancing ecological health.

Visitors can now walk shaded trails that bend down steeply toward the river, picnic on the rolling front lawn, or explore the rediscovered Millstone Garden with its thousands of native perennials and ferns. For nature lovers, it’s something rare: a new way to access ecological beauty in the heart of Knoxville.

Notable features of the landscape and its restoration:

• Though Eugenia made drastic changes to the front portion of the estate built by her father, she retained the rear woodland garden and footpaths he created. She added a few modern features, such as hose bibs and power outlets, to make maintaining the seemingly wild garden easier. The emphasis on native plants fit into her natural landscape aesthetic and provided an intimate, private space that contrasted nicely with her public-facing front lawn.

• Aslan’s restoration involved the planting of about 6,850 total plants and 344,000 square feet of seeded area, with 53 individual species. This includes about 473 trees, 516 shrubs, 4,956 plugs of perennials and ground cover, and roughly 900 bareroot plants at the riverfront. Most of the plantings in the wild gardens at the back of the property and along the riverfront were done by the foundation’s property team.

• The extensive removal of invasive species allowed for the revival of historic stone paths and trails and restored the house’s visual connection to the water. The home can now be seen from the Tennessee River, and its windows once again look out to river vistas.

• New footbridges were designed by Reed Hilderbrand to complement the trail system. The bridges feature seating made from fallen trees on the property, made by the property team.

• Every tree on the property has been tagged, identified, and mapped, confirming there are more than 50 species across the grounds’ 24 acres—a diversity that led to the property’s accreditation as a Level 1 Arboretum through ArbNet. Founded in 2011 by The Morton Arboretum in collaboration with the American Public Gardens Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), ArbNet accredits arboreta and maintains a register of arboreta around the world.

• The grounds are a true work in progress. Over the course of a three-year growth plan, the landscape will mature: The pasture and riverfront grasses will remain green longer, plantings will spread and become better established, and the full splendor of the site will come to life.

The Eugenia Williams House was the brainchild of a solitary and stylish heiress. Born in 1900, she was the only surviving child of Dr. David Williams, a local doctor and an early investor in Coca-Cola. With his partners, James Patrick Roddy and William H. Goodman, Dr. Williams purchased the distribution rights for bottled Coca-Cola within a 50-mile radius of Knoxville.

With his resulting wealth, he purchased 24 acres of riverfront property on Lyons View and in the teens built a working estate complete with agricultural fields, an orchard, and a vineyard. Almost none of his family would live to see it. When Eugenia was 7, her 21-month-old sister Elizabeth died. Her mother, Ella Williams, died when Eugenia was 14. Her only remaining sibling, her 7-year-old brother David, died two years later in 1916.

Eugenia moved into her father’s home while in her late teens, and in 1920 she married Gordon Chandler. During their time together, the couple was known to travel to New York and Chicago as well as Florida’s Gulf Coast. They reportedly acquired a collection of cars including a Duesenberg, a Mercedes, a Rolls-Royce, a Bentley, and a Hupmobile. In 1929, Dr. Williams died, leaving the property to Eugenia with special provisions to exclude Gordon Chandler from receiving any part of the estate in the event of their divorce. The marriage lasted until 1936. They had no children, and Eugenia never remarried.

While much of Eugenia’s life remains a mystery and few photos of her exist, her home is a testament to the fact that she knew her own mind. She chose to raze her father’s home on the property to make way for her own, and she also changed the house’s orientation. Prior to doing so, she added an oversized horse stable to the property. Designed by Barber & McMurray, its cost, as made public at the time through a construction permit, led reporters to dub it the priciest “mule barn” ever built in Knoxville.

We can look at Eugenia as a case study for how a woman might assert her independence during the mid-1900s. She was a divorcee during a time when living as a single woman could invite public disapproval; she commissioned a new home of her own from a nationally known architect; and she carefully guarded her privacy and image.

In 1983 she went to live at St. Mary’s Hospital, where she remained until her death in 1998. In her will, she left her house to the University of Tennessee in memory of her father. It was her hope that it might serve as the university president’s home. That vision did not come to fruition. The Aslan Foundation purchased the property at a state auction in 2020.

Physical address: 4848 Lyons View Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919

Original owner: Eugenia Williams (1900-1998)

Architect: John Fanz Staub (1892-1981)

Year construction was completed: 1941

Year last occupied: 1983

Year Aslan Foundation acquired the home: 2020

Year restoration was completed: 2026

Square footage: 10,600 sqft

Number of bedrooms: 3 (The service quarters were converted into ADA accessible restrooms)

Number of bathrooms: 3.5

Other rooms: grand foyer, kitchen, dining room, living room, library, 3-car garage

Standout features: original Art Deco ironwork; hand-carved marble mantels with sculptural reliefs; Venetian glass chandeliers; electric fireplaces; intact parquet floors; original appliances, including a Seeger refrigerator (and the original ice cube trays inside) and an automatic dishwasher; and automatic garage doors

Number of restoration partners: 30+

Property size: 24 acres

Number of distinct landscapes: 7 – Upland Glade, Lowland Meadow, Riverfront Grassland, Pasture, Ravine Garden, Wild Garden, and Great Lawn

Miles of trails: 1.25

Number of species of trees: 52

Number of parking spaces: 48

“For the longest time the Eugenia house was shrouded in mystery, separated from the neighborhood by an imposing wall. What most of us didn’t realize was that there was this treasure behind that wall – an architectural gem of a house and 24 acres of beautiful green space. The Aslan Foundation is proud to preserve this property and share it with the public. We hope that it becomes an important part of the cultural life of this community.”

– Robert Young, Board President, Aslan Foundation

“We approached this restoration with restraint and respect. Every decision was measured against the integrity of John Staub’s original design. When history gave us answers, we followed it. When it didn’t, we chose what felt truthful to the house. Our goal was never to modernize it — it was to return it to itself.”

– Mark Williams, Board Member, Aslan Foundation

 “My first impression of the house was of darkness. The windows were boarded up, glass crunched under foot. It was desolate. Now, there is an overwhelming sense of light and possibility. The house has been reawakened.”

– Lindsay McDonough, Board Member, Aslan Foundation

“It all comes down to the Board’s vision: they saw the significance of this site, architectural and ecological. They saved it, and now it is the Foundation’s gift to the community.

I think the most unexpected thing about this project is the grounds. They are incredibly varied. You’ll find stone staircases in the woods, hidden gardens, trails leading to the river, and lush grasslands. My hope is that the community will fall in love not just with the House, but also with this landscape and the property’s new chapter: one where art, history, and nature converge.”

– Katharine Killen, Executive Director, Aslan Foundation

 “This house is full of architectural significance, but it is not a traditional museum. You can sit on the furniture, open the cupboards, and enjoy it in a way that is impossible at most historic sites. We can’t wait to welcome visitors to concerts, lectures, and art exhibitions. Hearing music and conversation fill these rooms truly brings this special place to life.”

– Megan Robertson, Director, Eugenia Williams House

“Anytime we touched the building, we did it with intention. Brick, windows, floors, even the roof—every decision followed the National Park Service’s Standards and Guidelines for Historic Preservation. Each original terracotta roofing tile was removed and carefully cleaned prior to reinstallation.”

– Brandon Pace, FAIA, LEED, AP, Principal, Sanders Pace Architecture

“For the brick alone, we tested as many as 20 cleaning methods on different parts of the house. Even the mortar took deep research—not just matching the color but understanding the original recipe: the mix, the sand, the source of that sand. You have to know all of that to restore it faithfully.”

– Jared Eisenhower, Associate AIA, Sanders Pace Architecture

“No matter who you are, you will find something special here. If you are someone who likes to walk and stroll and be in nature, you will have a rich experience exploring this diverse landscape. If you are someone who is interested in history, there are so many layers of the past embedded in the site. If you are a plants person, a gardener, you’ll find remarkable things growing in the woods. There are so many ways into the site.”

– Eric Kramer, FASLA, Principal, Reed Hilderbrand, LLC.

Established by Lindsay Young in 1994, the Aslan Foundation embraces the mission of preserving beauty, advancing livability, and supporting cultural assets in Knoxville, Tennessee. These were interests that Lindsay shared with his twin brother Robert and with Robert’s wife Rachael, both of whom helped guide the Foundation for its initial decade.

Today, the Foundation’s Board of Directors includes Robert Young, Lindsay McDonough, and Mark Williams. Katharine Killen serves as executive director. Megan Robertson is the director of the Eugenia Williams House (EWH). The dedicated team also includes Randall Coffey, Aslan properties director; Kayla Beard, EWH associate; Coy Blair, EWH property manager; and Sydney Juhl, EWH guest services representative.

The Foundation strengthens the Knoxville community through its own directed projects, such as the Eugenia Williams House, High Ground Park, and Loghaven Artist Residency; its annual grantmaking program; and public-private partnerships, including the recent improvements to Augusta Quarry and Fort Dickerson Park. Its funding priorities include arts and culture, historic preservation, animal welfare, land conservation, outdoor recreation, and advancing livability in Knoxville.