The Patten name has a long and unprecedented association with the University, and it is fitting that the long-awaited Faculty Club will have its home within the stately elegance of the Patten House.
The beautifully appointed and carefully restored home combines the splendor and ambiance of a bygone era with the warmth of southern hospitality.
Designed in 1891 by distinguished architect Samuel M. Patton and built in 1893 for Confederate Captain Charles Lyerly, the house was bequeathed to the University in 1948 by Captain Lyerly s son-in-law, Z. Charles Patten.
Located on the corner of Oak and Palmetto, the house is in the style of an Italian villa. The two-and-a-half-story brick home includes an arcaded porch with stone railing, a slate roof with tiles placed at the ridge line, a central tower and a hand-wrought iron front door! which incorporates the house number in its design. A curved stairway rises from the black and white marble floor of the central hall.
When Lyerly died, the residence was left to his daughter, Helen Lyerly Patten, who undertook the remodeling of her family home in 1926.
To the living room were added hand-painted walnut ceiling beams, whose intricate design was repeated on the walnut door that opens to the back hallway, and a massive, carved Caen fireplace.
From the living room, large archways open onto the Garden Room, also referred to as the Fountain Room because of the graceful Rookwood fountain. The floor, with its Rookwood tiles, is in hues of green, beige and peach.
The library, with its floor to ceiling glass-fronted bookshelves, and the adjoining dining room are paneled in walnut. The frescoed ceiling and delicately Ornate central lighting fixture give these rooms elegance and distinction.
Helen Lyerly Patten occupied the house with her husband, Z. Charles Patten, and their daughter, Dorothy. Dorothy was to become well-known on the New York stage, and the Dorothy Patten Fine Arts Series is named in her memory.
The fountain and floor in the Fountain Room are fashioned from tiles produced by the Rookwood Pottery Company of Cincinnati, <0hio. These tiles are perfect examples of artifacts that can never be duplicated. The world-famous Rookwood Pottery is no longer available, its secret formula glazes gone forever.
Each tile was individually produced and combines the talents of an artist, a chemist and a potter. The technique utilized was invented by Stanley Brut, chief chemist for the company.
The clays chosen by the Rookwood Company for the white/cream and sea-green tiles came from the Chattanooga area.
- UTC Faculty Club
Department Name
Building
Dept Number
Address
Chattanooga, TN 37403
(423)425-0000
(423)425-0000 fax
History
