The Templeton Library in Sewanee was built to be a philanthropic endeavor by John Templeton. He was an important and influential businessman and stock market investor who lived in the area. The Library never actually had any books here and it was converted into condominiums. (Draw your own conclusions.)
The notable thing about this building to me is it's what you see if you're driving from Cowan to Sewanee. There's a long straight drive along US41A right before the ascent up the mountain and the back of this building is at the top of the hill here. This is what it looks like from behind.
I tried to go in the building out of curiosity. It was locked. A snobby woman came and said, "this is a private library and apartments." So, it has no books??? Strange library for them to call it such.
ReplyDeleteThere were rumors that the building claimed to be a library so it could be built with tax exemptions, but no actual plans to be a library. I have no idea if that is true or not, but it's a theory that's floating out there.
ReplyDeleteDid two Sewanee students die in the laundry chute before it was opened??
ReplyDeleteI've never heard that urban legend, but I also haven't looked into it in a few years. Maybe someone else out there knows.
DeleteHere's the story:
Deletehttp://www.chattanoogan.com/2001/10/11/13698/Sewanee-Student-Crushed-To-Death.aspx
So it is true. Thanks for the link
DeleteThank you for writing about Middle Tennessee and I was wondering what the big building on top of the mountain close to Cowan village was and the only picture of the building that I could find in the internet was the picture that you put in the internet and possibly there are no other picture of the building in the internet. There is a train station museum in Cowan village and there is nice person in the train station museum who tells people about things in the museum and and I think that person knows a lot about trains and Cowan village has an old fashioned hotel and I there is a nice person who shows people the rooms in the hotel and there is also an old fashioned gas station in Cowan village and the gas station has old fashioned gas pumps and I think people can get gas for cars from the old fashioned gas pumps in the way that people get gas at other gas stations.
ReplyDeleteAny apartments for rent?
ReplyDelete