Name/Title
Lookout Inn Burning, 1908Entry/Object ID
2020.129.001Description
A postcard with the front showing an illustrated version of the burning of Lookout Inn. The illustration shows spectators standing in front of the fire that has engulfed the hotel. The inscription reads "Burning of Lookout Inn, November 17, 1908"
The inscription on the Verso reads "The Inn was built about twenty years ago at a cost of about $250,000; was completely destroyed by fire November 17, 1908, making one of the most disastrous fires that has occurred in the Chattanooga district for many years. Yet from the ashes of Lookout Inn there may arise a structure grander than the one destroyed."
The Lookout Inn opened in 1890 and was situated just above the top station of the existing Incline No. 2 on the eastern face of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. The steam-powered incline was built as a direct route to the hotel and a connection to the Chattanooga & Lookout Mountain Railway.
Open year-round, Lookout Inn was 365 feet long and four stories tall. It had two five-story towers, a huge network of wide porches and verandas, 450 rooms that could accommodate over 500 guests, and was built for $150,000-which is more than $3 million today. The fine-dining hall was 114 feet in length and finished in quarter sawn oak. There were billiards rooms, reading nooks, lounges, and smoking rooms. An 1895 advertisement for the hotel boasted a “liberal plan,” the “finest climate in America” and the “most enchanted scenery the sun ever shone upon.” Modern sanitation systems, drainage, and the abundance of water were all selling features to prospective guests. It was also marketed as “Tennessee’s great health and pleasure resort,” seemingly to appeal to the nation’s popular health craze.
Its large ballroom often hosted soldiers in training for the Spanish-American War posted in Fort Oglethorpe. A visiting Prince Henry of Prussia pronounced it the ideal spot he had visited and the scenery more breathtaking than that of the Swiss Alps.
Thought to be fireproof, the inn was engulfed in a blaze on November 17, 1908, with the flames and smoke to be seen from downtown Chattanooga. At the time, only a few handfuls of guests were staying in the hotel. Luckily, they all escaped from harm.
On the day of the fire, Lookout Inn was under contract for $135,000, with the deal expected to close the same day. The owners had the hotel insured for only $20,000.
A defective flue was blamed for the disaster.Subject
DisastersSubject Person/Organization
Lookout InnSubject Place
* Untyped Subject Place
Lookout Mountain, TennesseeCollection
Lookout Mountain CollectionPostcard Details
Place Published
* Untyped Place Published
Lookout Mountain, TennesseeDate Published
circa 1908Printer
MacGowan-Cooke Printing CompanyPlace Printed
* Untyped Place Printed
Chattanooga, Tennessee*Copyright
Type of License
No Copyright - United States
