This charming Queen Anne style cottage was originally a part of the estate of James Dickinson Cowan that once occupied an entire block in its neighborhood, known then as West Knoxville. It stood near the Cowan’s massive Second Empire style home that was built in 1879 and then demolished in 1954 for Clement Hall. The structure stands at the corner of White Avenue and 16th Street and is suspected to have housed the European head gardener imported to manage the Cowans’ impressive gardens and three greenhouses. It is one of only four 19th century structures still standing on property controlled by the University of Tennessee.
The cottage is vacant after decades of serving as a private residence and then housing UT student organizations. The building suffers from long term neglect and lack of maintenance. It is another example of limited resources causing the potential loss of historically significant structures owned by the University of Tennessee. Knox Heritage calls upon UT to review the current condition of the structure and work with interested parties to develop a plan to preserve and reuse the building.