Marker Logo
THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Alcoa in Blount County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
 

The Commercial Building

 
 
The Commercial Building Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 10, 2022
1. The Commercial Building Marker
Inscription. The Commercial Building was constructed by the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) in 1919. Commercial businesses for the Hall community were located there, and until Charles M. Hall School was opened in 1926, the school for African American youth was located on the second floor of the building. On August 22, 1968 the Alcoa City Commission named the building the Martin Luther King Center, and the building became one of the first structures in America named for assassinated civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Captions (clockwise from top left)
• The Commercial Building on Hall Road c. 1960s. The building originally housed a drug store, meat market, dry goods store, grocery store, and a barbershop.
• The Commercial Building.
• The Commercial Building grocery store.
• Alcoa's present Martin Luther King, Jr. Center.
• The Commercial Building meat market.
• The Hall community in 1920 as new streets and utilities were being installed. The Commercial Building can be seen in the background.
 
Erected by City of Alcoa • Arconic Foundation.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic
Paid Advertisement
Click or scan to see
this page online
list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee, City of Alcoa series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.
 
Location. 35° 46.794′ N, 83° 58.825′ W. Marker is in Alcoa, Tennessee, in Blount County. It is on East Howe Street 0.1 miles north of North Hall Road (Tennessee Route 35), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 140 E Howe St, Alcoa TN 37701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee, in the Great Smoky Mountains, and in Greater Knoxville. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, the State of Franklin, and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Hall Community (here,
The Commercial Building Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, April 10, 2022
2. The Commercial Building Marker
next to this marker); Charles M. Hall School (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named The Charles M. Hall School (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Incorporation of the City of Alcoa (approx. half a mile away); Alcoa's First Fire Hall (approx. Ύ mile away); The Duck Pond and Lily Pond (approx. 0.8 miles away); Millennium Manor (approx. 0.9 miles away); The West Plant / A Plant and A Community (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alcoa.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on April 12, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 753 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on April 12, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
m=195399

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisement
Aug. 17, 2026