Candoro Marble Works
The Candoro Marble Works was a marble cutting and polishing facility located in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Established as a subsidiary of the John J. Craig Company in 1914, the facility's marble products were used in the construction of numerous monumental buildings across the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. Although Candoro closed in 1982, independent marble fabricators continued using the facility until the early 21st century, when it was purchased by the preservation group, South Knox Heritage. In 1996, several of the facility's buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Candoro Marble Works | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
Candoro Marble Works showroom | |
Location | 681 Maryville Pike Knoxville, Tennessee |
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Coordinates | 35°55′58″N 83°55′20″W |
Area | 5.4 acres (22,000 m2) |
Built | 1914 |
Architect | Charles I. Barber, multiple |
Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
NRHP reference No. | 96001399 |
Added to NRHP | December 4, 1996; July 22, 2005 |
By the beginning of the 20th century, East Tennessee had become one of the nation's major suppliers of finished marble. The John J. Craig Company, which operated several quarries in the vicinity of Knoxville, was one of the region's top marble suppliers during this period. John J. Craig III, grandson of the company's founder, and three co-investors— F.C. Anderson, W.J. Donaldson, and S.A. Rodgers— established Candoro to cut and polish the company's quarried and imported marble. The name "Candoro" is a combination of the first letters of each co-founder's last name. The company's showroom and garage, completed in 1923, was designed by noted Knoxville architect Charles I. Barber (1887–1962).