posted August 20, 2008
) Photo by courtesy of Chattanooga-Hamilton County Library 1925 photo of the Dome Building shows the sign of the Times. Click to enlarge. |
The Dome Building has been selected by the APTA, the oldest statewide nonprofit historic preservation organization in Tennessee, as a Tennessee antiquity recognizing Chattanooga’s iconic Building for its architectural and historical significant.
Locate on the corner of East 8th Street and Georgia Avenue, The Dome Building has been a major architectural feature on Chattanooga’s skyline for over 115 years. Originally known as the Ochs Building, the six-story structure, which housed The Chattanooga Times, was most often referred to as the Times Building, probably because of the large neon letters spelling Times that were on the cupola for years.
In 1947, when The Chattanooga Times moved its headquarters, the buildings’ new owners changed the name to the Dome Building.
Adolph Ochs, was owner of the Chattanooga Times and was one of Chattanooga’s greatest boosters. He built the Dome Building in 1892 and at the time of its construction, the building was the city’s tallest structure.
The most outstanding architectural feature is the dome. The roof of the dome is made of sheet copper weighing about 1,300 pounds and is gilded in gold. The Chattanooga Times reported, on December 8, 1892, that the dome was “one of the largest in the country.”
In recognition of the APTA designation, Cornerstones, Inc., Chattanooga’s only non-profit historic preservation organization, is hosting a reception that same evening in the newly renovated lobby.
“This national register historic property is a previous gem for Chattanooga,” says Ann Gray, Cornerstones Executive Director. “We are not only fortunate to have this grand building in our city, but we are fortunate that the current property owners, Dome Building Realty Partners, LLC, have granted to Cornerstones a façade easement that guarantees that the buildings exterior will remain unaltered in the future.”
Greg Vital, President of Dome Building Realty Partners, enthusiastically express his support of historic preservation, Cornerstones, and the APTA. Mr. Vital said, “We are honored that the APTA has selected The Dome Building to add to the list of Tennessee antiquities. It is a special building which in a sense belongs to the entire Chattanooga community. The building with its gold dome stands proudly as a reminder of Adolph Och’s dream."
APTA President Robert Notestine stated that he and his organization are excited about recognizing such an important historic site in Chattanooga. Mr. Notestine stated that he hopes this recognition will help to educate Tennesseans about the important role of this site in the newspaper industry.
With this recognition, The Dome Building joins APTA’s list of designated historically significant sites in Tennessee and the fourteen significant historic sites in Tennessee owned or operated by the APTA that include Belle Meade Plantation and Buchanan Log House in Nashville, The Athenaeum Rectory in Columbia, Crockett Tavern Museum in Morristown, Glenmore Mansion in Jefferson City, Ramsey House Plantation in Knoxville and others in Arlington, Bolívar and Memphis.
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