St. John's Cathedral, Knoxville

Saint John's Church was established in 1826, 35 years after Knoxville was founded. It was one of the congregations represented at the Primary Convention during the organization of the Diocese of Tennessee in Nashville in 1829. In May 1844, with 25 communicants, Saint John’s became the first mission from Eastern Tennessee to be admitted to the Diocese of Tennessee.

The original building was demolished in 1891 to create space for a larger facility, which was designed by J.W. Yost of Columbus, Ohio and completed in 1892. The stone church has a Latin cross form, but the nave, transepts, and apse are relatively small compared to the crossing, resulting in a spacious central area. The architectural style is Richardsonian Romanesque and features a slate roof, turrets, buttresses, and rose windows.

A fire in 1919 destroyed many of the original stained glass windows, but the church was promptly restored. In 1963, extensive renovation was carried out to create an undercroft under the nave floor. In 1986, Saint John’s was designated as the seat of the bishop for the newly created Diocese of East Tennessee.

The church office is adjacent to Saint John's Episcopal Cathedral. It is a two-story, classical brick building erected in 1857 by O. F. Hill to serve as both home and office. The original porch had Tuscan columns and extended the full width of the house, but it was eventually removed. The present porch is more modest. The house faces the James Park House across Cumberland Avenue to the south.