The Candoro Marble Building was built in 1923 to serve as the Candoro Marble Company showroom and offices. The building was designed in the Beaux Arts style by Charles Barber, with stonework by Alberto Milani of Carrara and ironwork by Samuel Yellin of Philadelphia. Founded in 1878, the Candoro Marble Company was the nation’s largest producer of Tennessee pink marble. The Company provided marble for the Smithsonian’s Museum of History and Technology and National Gallery of Art among other renowned buildings. The Candoro Marble Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. After being threatened with redevelopment in 2002, the building was saved by a group of preservationists. In 2014, the Aslan Foundation purchased the property in order to invest in the restoration of this significant piece of Knoxville’s architectural history. Its marble carvings, intricate ironwork, frescoes, and grounds will start to undergo historic rehabilitation throughout 2019. The building will reopen to the public the following year. The Aslan Foundation is funding the historic rehabilitation of the Candoro Marble Building as an investment in the community’s past, present, and future. The goals of the rehabilitation are to preserve this important piece of Knoxville’s history, protect the nationally significant building for future generations and to increase use of the building in the present to benefit the community.

The first step in our restoration of the Candoro Marble Building was identifying issues with the building envelope. We needed to ensure that it was stable and identify any areas of current or possible water intrusion. Three areas of focus were identified:  the roof, the exterior masonry, and the windows. The roof was replaced immediately. During the replacement, we discovered termite damage requiring framing repairs. Insulation was also added to bring the building into code compliance while also ensuring a cooler attic thus prolonging the life of the structure.

The second area of focus was the historic and iconic pink marble exterior. Local masonry contractor WASCO was hired to clean the exterior masonry using a solution approved through the National Park Service as part of its National Preservation Standards and Guidelines. Several passes were taken to remove years of pollution from the marble surface. WASCO also repointed the entire building.

The third area of focus was the restoration of the original steel casement windows. Local craftsmen carefully removed loose paint and rust from all of the steel frames while Bird on the Wire Studios removed, catalogued, cleaned, and repaired all of the original bronze window hardware. They also recreated some missing elements using the original parts as templates.  The windows were then set with period-appropriate glass, glazed, and painted using historical photos to identify the appropriate paint color.  Since several original windows were missing, Sanders Pace Architecture tracked down the original manufacturer and had the windows recreated.

You can learn more about the process on the Candoro Marble Building website, www.candoromarblebuilding.org.  They have curated a blog on the history of the building and the restoration process, you can click on each item to learn more:

Samuel Yellin Gate Restoration
Lost Marble Urn Reproductions
Decorative Mural Restoration

In late 2020 it was announced that the Candoro Marble Building will be the new home of Tri-Star Arts.  Beginning in early 2021, the non-profit will open its new main office, present gallery exhibition programing, and host 4 Knoxville-based artists in their subsidized-rent studios in the building.  The gallery will feature 4-5 exhibitions each year with a local, state-wide, and national focus on contemporary visual art.