The Eugenia Williams House was built in 1941 on twenty-four acres overlooking the Tennessee River. Noted Houston architect John Fanz Staub designed the home for Ms. Williams. Staub was a Knoxville native and a childhood acquaintance of Ms. Williams and is noted for his design, among others, of the President’s home at Rice University; Bayou Bend, now part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

The Regency style of the Eugenia Williams House is characterized by balconies, ornate ironwork, large garden windows, and classical Greek design elements. The grounds feature vast expanses of lawn, original evergreen plantings, and narrow paths down to the river. The Tudor Revival Style stable on the grounds was built in 1939.

Ms. Williams passed away in 1998 at the age of ninety-eight. In her will, Ms. Williams donated the house and property to the University of Tennessee in honor of her father, David H. Williams, a local doctor who gained fortune in the early days of Coca-Cola bottling. In 2020, the Aslan Foundation purchased the property from the University of Tennessee to restore this significant piece of Knoxville’s architectural history and make it accessible to the public.

The Eugenia Williams House will be open through trails on the property and cultural programming in the buildings. While visiting the grounds, guests will walk through distinct landscapes, including the Upland Glade, Lowland Meadow, Riverfront Grassland, Pasture, Ravine Garden, Wild Garden, and the Great Lawn. When visiting the John Fanz Staub-designed home and the BarberMcMurry-designed stable, guests will engage in programming including tours, lectures, small exhibitions, and intimate performances. Partners include the Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Opera, Knoxville Garden Club, Big Ears Festival, Beck Cultural Exchange Center, Knox Heritage, East Tennessee Historical Society, and Knoxville History Project.