Tennessee Theatre, Burwell Building, Knoxville (must see)

The Tennessee Theatre is a 1920s-era movie palace, located within the Burwell Building in downtown Knoxville. It occupies an annex added to the building in 1928, while the building itself was constructed in 1907. At a height of 166 feet (51 m), it remained Knoxville's tallest structure until 1912.

The theater first opened on October 1, 1928, and with nearly 2,000 seats in the auditorium, was billed as "Knoxville's Grand Entertainment Palace". Its interior was designed by Chicago architects Graven & Mayger in the Spanish-Moorish style, while also incorporating elements from different parts of the world, such as French-style chandeliers with Czechoslovakian crystals, Italian terrazzo flooring in the Grand Lobby, and Oriental influences in the carpet and drapery patterns. It also featured a beautiful Wurlitzer Organ. The theater was one of the first public buildings in Knoxville to have air conditioning.

Even though it was originally built as a “motion picture palace,” the Tennessee Theatre regularly played host to live music and weekend talent shows that gave stars of country music a chance to perform on its historic stage. Among them, Roy Acuff, dubbed the "King of Country Music", had his first public appearance here during a talent show. He admitted to having never won the first place, though, since the competition was too stiff.

Famous musicians across genres still grace the theater's stage to this day, making it one of the most significant standing country music landmarks in East Tennessee. In 1982, the theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.