A view from the river side of Sandy and Kreis Beall's home at 5032 Lyons View Pike. Built in 1919 by Charles Barber, it was recently purchased and restored by the Bealls, who have renovated 40 homes.
I knew the Knox Heritage Patrons’ Luncheon at the Lyons View Pike home of Kreis and Sandy Beall on Saturday would be lovely. But I didn’t know it would be quite so interesting! Here’s what I heard in the hour-and-a-half I was there:
- Dorothy Stair’s vision is that East Tennessee become known as “the Tuscany of Tennessee.”
- The Wall Street Journal is coming to Walland to interview Kreis Beall and do a story on Blackberry Farm. She’s going to let them know about Knox Heritage and the vision many there have of putting our region on the map by “changing the world one house at a time.” She herself has restored more than 40.
- Downtown bachelor lawyer Marshall Stair, the son of Dorothy and Caesar Stair III, is being talked about as a possible candidate for mayor of Knoxville.
Pretty good info for a Saturday afternoon, huh?
"Save these houses!" Kreis Beall urges guests during her speech at the luncheon.
Here’s more from Dorothy Stair in an interview after the lunch about why she thinks our area has the potential to be a Tuscany-type draw for visitors.
“I always tell Caesar that our Berkshire Hathaway stock is our scenery,” Dorothy laughed. “But we take it for granted.” She said East Tennessee’s mountains, lakes, historic houses and scenic vistas are every bit as beautiful as those in Tuscany. “All of us pack up our clothes and get on a plane and go to Tuscany or somewhere like that. Our scenery is every bit as pretty – if not prettier.”
Stair says one reason we lose so many beautiful historic homes in East Tennessee is that the property becomes more valuable than the house itself. If the house is on Kingston Pike, for example, the property is so valuable that there is a temptation to sacrifice the house.
Stair said she is in awe of Kreis Beall and the work she has done at Blackberry Farm — and with her home on Lyons View Pike. “People are coming to see Blackberry Farm that would never have come to East Tennessee before,” she said. “They get here and they say, ‘Why have I never heard of this place?'” She credits Beall and her family with helping put East Tennessee on the cultural and culinary map. Alan Benton, from Benton’s Bacon in Madisonville, for instance, says he has gained much exposure from being associated with Blackberry Farm and its culinary feats. “He says he is better known in Napa Valley than he is in Knoxville,” Stair marvels.
Stair said the Bealls’ home on Lyons View Pike is “the prettiest home in Knoxville,” although, truth be told, Stair’s own home and gardens are a knock-out! She said the many private gardens being constructed – as well as the public gardens like the Botanical Garden in East Knoxville and Ijams Nature Center in South Knoxville — are becoming draws for visitors.
And she says the towns in East Tennessee — Greeneville, Jonesborough, Dandridge, Rogersville — have the charm of many Tuscan towns. And she can’t say enough about downtown Knoxville. “We have the best downtown in Tennessee,” she said. “It’s better than Nashville, Chattanooga or Memphis.”
Oh, about the rumor at the party that Marshall Stair could be a mayoral candidate, Dorothy says she thinks her son would be a great politician — but she mentions City Council as a good first step.
What does Marshall say? In an interview, he laughs and says he’s heard the rumors and it would definitely be a salary increase for him. But for now, he wants to be elected to the board of the Central Business Improvement District.
Former Knoxville mayor and U.S. Ambassador Victor Ashe chats with Dorothy Stair, whom he refers to as "my sexy friend!"
Joan Ashe spends some time with landscape architect Stephen Hackney, who is working on the remodel of the Ashes' Kingston Pike home. "We were discussing pavers," Joan says.
City Councilman (and architect) Duane Grieve and his wife, Marsha
Attorneys Caesar Stair, left, and Tom McAdams discuss the possible mayoral candidacy of Stair's son, Marshall.
Developer David Dewhirst, left, and County Commissioner Finbarr Saunders
From left, Nancy Land, Scott and Lynne Fugate, and Steve Land
Gay Lyons, left, talks with her old friend Michelle Samples whom she had not seen since 1972. Samples says she is "the queen of Cinco de Mayo" because her birthday is 5/5/55. This year she turned 55!
Knox Heritage folks: from left, Ethiel Garlington, Becky Hancock, John Craig and Kim Trent
Caterer Holly Hambright puts the finishing touches on a fabulous lunch which included this yummy asparagus salad.
This dog, Buddy, gets around! He also was in our last blog post when he crashed the party of his next-door neighbors, Jimmy and Dee Haslam!
Here's a relaxing spot on the Bealls' veranda.
I loved the relaxing feel of this beautiful dining area.
Here's a view of the pool and beyond shot from upstairs.
Photo credit: Becky Hancock shot the opening photo and the last three. Thanks, Becky! For more pictures of this event, click this link to Knox Heritage’s Facebook page.
And speaking of gardens, one of our favorite blogs, The Sunshere is NOT a Wigshop, reports on a weekend event at the Knoxville Botanical Garden. Click here.
Looks like a fun time!