Candoro Marble Works

Around the time Barber McMurry was founded, Knoxville was known as the Marble City.

East Tennessee marble — which often has a distinctive pink tint — was used in some of America’s most iconic buildings, including Grand Central Station, the Lincoln Memorial, and the National Gallery of Art. In Knoxville, the marble was notably used at the Knoxville Museum of Art, East Tennessee History Center, the downtown U.S. Post Office, Ijams Nature Center, and Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum.

In 1922, Barber McMurry designed an office and showroom for local marble producer Candoro Marble Company in the Beaux-Arts style.

From the front, the showroom appears stately with its marble facade of rectangular blocks. A small penthouse roof rises from the center of the building, while to the side is an arcaded Spanish Colonial-style carport, which features a tiled roof and stucco and marble walls. Throughout the building, the walls and floors are marble or marble veneer in different patterns and colors — intended to demonstrate the varied ways of using East Tennessee marble. 

Samuel Yellin, a leader of the American Arts and Crafts movement, fabricated the ironwork. Albert Milani, a master sculptor from Carrara, Italy, and longtime carver at Candoro, carved the exterior ornamentation. The ceiling fresco was painted by Hugh Tyler, who also completed work for Barber McMurry at Hoskins Library and Church Street United Methodist. 

Candoro closed in 1982, and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. In 2000, community volunteers established the Candoro Arts & Heritage Center, and with the help of the Aslan Foundation, stabilized the vacant building. Today, Candoro is an artist studio, gallery and event venue.