City Center in Chattanooga in Hamilton County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Read House

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 9, 2025

1. Read House Marker

Inscription.
This property has been
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1926.

Location. 35° 2.757′ N, 85° 18.688′ W. Marker is in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in Hamilton County. It is in City Center. It is at the intersection of Chestnut Street and West Martin Luther King Boulevard (Tennessee Route 316), on the right when traveling north on Chestnut Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 842 Chestnut St, Chattanooga TN 37402, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is 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

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territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Union Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of Crutchfield House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Chattanooga Rotary Club (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Crutchfield House (about 300 feet away); Looking Back (about 300 feet away); a different marker also named Looking Back (about 500 feet away); Military History of Chattanooga (about 500 feet away); Sit-in Movement of 1960 (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chattanooga.

Another marker is no longer nearby. First Union Occupation of the City (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).

More about this marker. There is an identical plaque at the building's main entrance on West Martin Luther King Boulevard, but it was hidden behind a topiary plant.

Regarding Read House. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:

Thomas Crutchfield, after conferring with
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 10, 2025

2. Read House Marker
the directors of the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad who agreed to erect the Chattanooga Union Station across 9th Street, built the Crutchfield House on this site in 1847-48. Shortly after the Civil War, the Crutchfield House was razed to provide space for a three-story office building. Dr. [John T.] Read purchased the incomplete structure and had the plans changed enough to convert the office building into a hotel. The first Read House opened its doors on January 1, 1872. With the addition of a three-story frame wing the hotel occupied nearly the entire block.

The second, and present, Read House was designed by Martin Roche of Holabird and Roche, a Chicago architectural firm. The ten-story, brick Georgian Revival hotel, which occupies half of the block bounded by 9th, Chestnut, Broad, and 8th Streets, was built at a cost
of $2,500,000 and opened on July 4, 1926.

Also see . . .
1. Read House. National Register nomination (PDF) and accompanying photographs (separate PDF) for the building, which was listed in 1976. (Prepared by Robert E. Dalton, of Tennessee Historical Commission; via National Park Service) (Submitted on June 4, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Est. 1872: Our Rich History.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 10, 2025

3. Read House

The Read House is the longest continuously operating hotel in the southeast. The hotel has endured floods, the Civil War, epidemics, the Great Depression and an ever-changing Chattanooga. (With video, timeline and photographs) (The Read House) (Submitted on June 4, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

3. Read House Hotel. Terra cotta detailing decorates the exterior of the building in the form of quoining, window surrounds and pediments, beltcourses, and cornices. The interior features 237 guest rooms as well as meeting and banquet space. Two of the most notable rooms include the “Silver Ballroom” and the “Green Room.” (Miranda R. Clements, in Tennessee Encyclopedia, published Oct. 8, 2017) (Submitted on June 4, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

4. Our Ghost: The Haunting of Room 311. There are many who believe Room 311 is haunted by the ghost of Annalisa Netherly – a guest who was allegedly beheaded in the bathtub by a jealous lover in 1927. (The Read House) (Submitted on June 4, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 4, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 170 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 4, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.