Lindbergh Forest: A South Knoxville Jewel
T
HE LINDBERGH FOREST
residential neighborhood is located in South Knox ville off Chapman Highway, a two-mile drive from downtown Knoxville. The subdivision was established in 1927 by Knoxville real estate developers McLean, Rector & Scott. Lindbergh Forest was built as an automobile development of custom-built homes that catered to middle-class families all within a beautiful woodland setting. With the mass production and affordability of the Model-T, the automobileoriented suburban development stage began in American cities in the 1920s. As businesses moved farther out of the downtown area, and city streetcar lines were not the only viable means of transportation, the suburbs grew rapidly. New asphalt roads, along with bridges and tunnels, replaced unpaved roadways allowing people to move out of the city limits to enjoy more green spaces and unique residential architecture. The popular revival styles of the 20th century are represented within the Lindbergh Forest neighborhood, with Tudor Revival being the most prominent style. Additional architectural styles include Dutch Colonial Revival, Colonial Revival, Spanish Eclectic, Minimal Traditional, and two Lustron Houses. Lustron Houses were prefabricated enameled metal paneled homes designed to meet the housing shortage following World War II. The colored enamel was baked into the steel so the house never required re-painting maintenance and the original colors can still be seen today. Lindbergh Forest is also unique for its use of East Tennessee marble and pink sandstone in its construction and surrounding landscape. East Tennessee marble is used in almost all of the neighborhood homes and can be seen in the window and door sills, surrounds, trim, wall coverings, and walkways. The subdivision was platted in a curvilinear form that is typical of automobile suburbs of the early 20th century. Lindbergh Forest is one of the first subdivisions in which the developer installed the infrastructure at the time of the development. Amenities included ornamental street lighting creating “whiteway” roads, city water, electricity, concrete paved streets, and landscape beautification. In May 1927, in order to garner excitement for the new development, McLean, Rector & Scott announced a competition to name the new neighborhood. They placed ads in the newspaper requesting suggestions, and more than 2,000 individuals submitted names. The winning name was selected by three judges, and five Knoxville residents who had
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EVERYTHING KNOXVILLE
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all suggested Lindbergh Forest, divided the $200 prize. That would be almost $3,000 in 2021! The neighborhood was named in honor of Charles Lindbergh, an American aviator, military officer, and inventor, and the name was christened on June 29, 1927. In the early morning hours of May 20, 1927, Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France, in a custom-built, single-engine plane called the Spirit of St. Louis. The 33 1/2 hour flight ended when Lindbergh touched down in the Paris suburbs at 10:30 pm on May 21, 1927. Today, the Spirit of St. Louis is on exhibit at the atrium of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The plane also served as the inspiration for the design of the Airplane Filling Station on Clinton Highway. By the summer of 1927, 22 lots had been sold, and construction was slow but steady. In 1929, McLean, Rector & Scott began advertising the advantages of the neighborhood’s location, highlighting the close proximity to the “new purposed Henley Street Bridge” and US 441, the “Gateway to the Smoky Mountains National Park.” By the end of 1931, with the opening of the Henley Street Bridge, construction of homes in the neighborhood increased, with steady construction continuing throughout the mid-1930s. Lindbergh Forest is an excellent example of a Knoxville automobile suburb. Although it is small in comparison to other Knoxville automobile suburbs, it still retains its architectural integrity, and the homes have been wellmaintained and continue to represent a pride of ownership that was part of the developer’s original vision.
Knox Heritage preserves structures and places of historic or cultural significance for our community. Established in 1974 as a non-profit educational corporation, our organization works to protect and raise awareness of what is beautiful and irreplaceable in East Tennessee. For more information, visit www.KnoxHeritage.org.
