Mountain City Club building at 729 Chestnut St.
The upscale St. John's Restaurant and Meeting Place will be moving to the Mountain City Club after the acclaimed restaurant was sold to brothers Byron and Ken DeFoor.
Staff of the St. John's was told of the move on Sunday night.
Construction to ready for the St. John's is said to be almost complete at the site at the corner of Chestnut and Eighth streets.
It is expected to open at the West Village site in late September.
In April, the DeFoors paid $9 million for the Mountain City Club property with initial speculation that it might become a hotel site. The venerable club that dates to 1889 moved to leased space across Eighth Street at the restored Gilman Building.
St. John's was launched by Chattanooga native Nathan Lindley in 2000. He later started Il Primo restaurants at Riverview and Ooltewah as well as the Public House at the south end of Warehouse Row.
St. John's was started in an old hotel building at the triangular corner of South Market and King streets that was restored by Thomas Johnson after it was condemned while under city ownership.
Mr. Lindley later sold St. John's to his brother, Daniel Lindley. It was later transferred to Josh Carter, a longtime manager at the St. John's and classmate to Daniel Lindley.
Mr. Carter expanded with the launch of Kenny's nearby.
The St. John's specializes in "inventive Regional American cuisine"
St. John's Restaurant at former Ellis Hotel