Diners at the Pan-O-Ram Club had a spectacular view. Click to enlarge all our photos.
The word “panorama” is a combination of three Greek words: “pan” (all) + “hora” (see) + “ma” (state of). A “state of seeing all” in three directions is possible when one stands on the northern end of Lookout Mountain. From that spot, one can see Chattanooga, Moccasin Bend, and the surrounding mountains, ridges, hills, and river valley.
In 1945, businessman Leon P. Silberman saw that spectacular view as a way to bring to customers of his new hotel and restaurant on Scenic Highway, close to Ruby Falls. He named his new venture the “Pan-O-Ram Lodge,” in reference to the panoramic views from its location.
Mr. Silberman directed all of the construction himself, and also operated a bulldozer to excavate the mountain slope where the hotel would be built. The white stucco hotel had 17 rooms on two levels above a basement. On a ledge overlooking the valley, a swimming pool was constructed. A large lighted sign atop the hotel beckoned travelers with “Pan” and “Ram” on either side of the “O.” The sign was visible at night from South Broad Street. The hotel was described on the back of a postcard as being “a hostelry for the discriminating traveler.”
The Pan-O-Ram also featured a 25 by 80-foot restaurant. A reader of this column noted that her future husband took her to the Pan-O-Ram on their first date, and that she recalled that both of them ordered ham from the menu. She remembered seeing the twinkling nighttime lights of Chattanooga, and feeling that their dining table was right on the edge of the mountain. An advertisement in the Chattanooga phone book invited the public to “dine in the most scenic dining room.” Large picture windows encouraged gazing afar. Sadly, in the years that the Pan-O-Ram was in business, Chattanooga’s air pollution hindered views on many days.
In late 1956, the Pan-O-Ram was converted from a hotel to a private club for officers and former officers in the military. However, in 1958, A. D. Smith Jr. purchased the property, renovated it, and turned it back into a hotel. Mr. Smith was vice president of Floorcoverings, Inc., and also owned some radio stations. He announced plans for the offices of his radio business to be in the hotel. The Pan-O-Ram appears to have become a club again in the early 1960’s, and the name disappears from the city directory after 1969. It later burned down.
In 1998, Rep. Zach Wamp announced in a news conference at the Cravens House that several tracts on the northern end of Lookout Mountain – including the former Pan-O-Ram – would be purchased after securing $1 million from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The goal was to add the land to the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. There had been interest expressed by developers in using the Pan-O-Ram site for high-rises or for an assisted living facility.
If you have memories of the Pan-O-Ram, please send me an e-mail at jolleyh@signaldata.net.