John Shearer: Exploring And Searching For Greenways, Part 30 – Enjoying Both Architecture And Greenspace At Brown’s Tavern And Former Patten School

I keep thinking I am almost finished with this series examining park or potential park space in at least the major areas of Hamilton County that are owned or overseen by a variety of government or non-profit entities.

But then I remember or find one other area or park that I have not covered, and this time it was Lookout Valley, also known historically as Tiftonia and Wauhatchie. Of course, Reflection Riding on the corner of the community is the best-known piece of protected greenspace in this part of town – and maybe all of Chattanooga.

I have not written about Reflection Riding yet and hope to do a separate story after examining it in the future, even though it has been in the news plenty in recent days, with long-range plans to enhance it even more having been announced.

On this excursion I went to Lookout Valley to see Brown’s Tavern and the small park around the former John A. Patten School, which is now a recreation and arts center.

A trip to Lookout Valley from many places in town, including from my home near Northgate Mall, involves sitting in traffic along the interstate by the Tennessee River. And that was the case when my wife, Laura, and I drove down there one afternoon last week.

We decided to avoid the slowed freeway by taking Highway 41 from South Broad Street, but we found ourselves stuck here as well with plenty of other motorists who had the same idea. We eventually found Browns Ferry Road, and we drove a couple of miles out and then we saw an overgrown grassy area on the left and a beautiful old home from another era standing there.

Suddenly, thoughts of such 21st century worries as freeway traffic congestion quickly disappeared as this architectural old-timer greeted us. However, as we pulled into one overgrown driveway and stopped, we saw signs about it being preserved, but also one about trespassing, although it was not clear whether one could still walk around the outside grounds.

I ended up just getting out at a couple of the entrance areas by the road and taking some pictures from near the street. I would have loved to walk around the land and see the home, but even from the street, I could still tell this is a real treasure that it is now being protected.

Last fall the American Battlefield Trust purchased the home and nine acres that in the early 1800s were part of the large estate belonging to former ferry and tavern operator John Brown.

I hope it is saved in some way that visitors can walk on a path around the estate during all daytime hours and that the home might be restored even better and be open for periodic tours. Of course, all of that might be in the planning, if it is not already starting to take place.

While the home and site are important historically due to the Civil War Battle of Wauhatchie having been fought there, and due to the age of the home, it is a great setting just visually as well.

The home sits at a commanding site at the top of the small hill like a flagstick on a golf green or the rubber slab on a baseball pitcher’s mound and is surrounded by some old trees with plenty of grass. Looking at it, I can easily imagine living in the home and roughing it like in the frontier days.

After enjoying the setting for a few moments, albeit mostly from our car, we then drove down back under the interstate, turned right and worked our way toward the old John A. Patten Elementary School off Kellys Ferry Road.

Here is another piece of Lookout Valley history, although more of the brick-and-mortar variety with the old John A. Patten Elementary School. And this park is now obviously fully open and ready for business, with a nice green space around it.

There are not many other parks within the boundaries of Hamilton County that incorporate both a little greenspace and a former school building, so that is a unique aspect. The old Hixson Middle School site that is now a park is another example among city-owned facilities.

John A. Patten Elementary – named for the former Chattanooga Medicine Co. official and civic leader who had died in 1916 – was built and opened before World War II. It was designed by architect James G. Gauntt, who also designed the different-looking DuPont Elementary in the Hixson area roughly 20 years later.

An extension was also built on the south end of the Patten school a few years after World War II. It is a very attractive historic school, although not quite as handsome from the back side, as is the case with many older schools.

The school had closed in 1989 when several city schools were closed, and Chattanooga State initially looked at locating a satellite campus there before dropping the idea.

It was later taken over as a city of Chattanooga facility, and it now uniquely has some art programs along with its recreation offerings indoors.

And outside, it has a nice grassy area for recreation done under the sun. The expanse a couple hundred yards in each direction includes a playground, some nice flower plantings, a gazebo, a public restroom (which might be as important as grass!), a fenced ballfield, a vintage scoreboard, and a paved walking trail.

Numerous trees representing various species have also been planted, although on the hot summer day Laura and I were there, it was still as hard to completely avoid the gaze of the sun as it is avoiding a mosquito bite on a summer night’s walk along a stagnant pond.

But as a lover of jogging on grass at a place where it is big enough to enjoy a 30-minute jaunt, I would enjoy living near it for some exercising on days when I don’t have time to go to a larger park area.

It is also sneakily scenic, and the greatest enjoyment for a park visitor might come from looking up at both Lookout Mountain a short distance to the east and Raccoon/Elder Mountain to the west. Very few neighborhoods in Chattanooga are close to two of the city’s three major mountains.

Overall, it is a neat little park. I also hope the Brown’s Tavern site becomes an enjoyable outdoor public space, too.

Lovers of both historic architecture and open space might also hope some other older buildings that are set to close – such as the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts and the McDonald Farm with its old farm structures – can be similarly saved along with some grass and trees around them.

* * * * *

To see the previous story in this series, read here.  https://www.chattanoogan.com/2021/6/23/430340/John-Shearer-Exploring-And-Searching.aspx

* * * * *

Jcshearer2@comcast.net