Chattanooga, TN is one of my favourite cities and I have written about its Northshore, Riverfront, Bluff View, Southside, and Big Nine neighbourhoods in the past. I have held off on writing about St. Elmo because I wanted to gather more info about the South Broad District first, but its progress has been so slow.
SOUTH BROAD refers to the southern end of Broad Street that connects Chattanooga’s Southside to the St. Elmo Historic District. Currently, this area is a run-down strip of Broad Street between 24th and 28th Streets that extends eastward to Market Street.
I have outlined the area in yellow in this screenshot:
This part of town has every kind of home service or supply store you could possibly need, from mirrors to cabinets to electricians and everything else.
It has a few hotels, a yoga studio, spas, galleries, a psychic, therapeutic offices, churches, fast food chains, Harris Johnson Park, Southside Gardens, and a sweet little place called Chattz Coffee.
Plans for the revitalization of this area and its presentation as the new South Broad District have been in the works since 2003 but I still have not seen any big moves. There have been South Broad flags up on the light posts for quite some time though, like in Chattanooga’s other neighbourhoods.
I asked several people working in the area if they knew anything about South Broad or why there are signs up and not one of them had any idea why, except one guy who said ” I think a new stadium will be built at some point but they have been saying that for years.”
In fact, this area has been chosen as the future home of the Chattanooga Lookouts baseball stadium.
South Broad will also feature one of those creepy LIVE-WORK-EAT-PLAY-NEVER LEAVE AGAIN concepts with office spaces and restaurants on the lower level of stacked apartments.
I get the convenience of places like that but they really give me glamorized ghetto vibes. A literal ghetto, minus the barbed wire fences.
Plans for the emerging new South Broad District also include restoring historic buildings like the Howard School, the old 140-acre Wheland Foundry site, and the US Pipe building. I really look forward to seeing this come to life.
ST. ELMO HISTORIC DISTRICT
Chattanooga, TN’s St. Elmo Historic District connects Chattanooga’s Southside neighbourhood to Lookout Mountain, just across the TN/GA State line. The blocks closest to Southside are what I described as South Broad and the two districts share attractions and amenities.
This land originally belonged to the Cherokee, Muscogee, and other Native Americans who had many names for their communities. The most notable being Tsatanugi, alternately Chatanuga and later anglicized as Chattanooga.
A historic local hero named John Ross, son of Scottish immigrant and settler, Daniel Ross, was named a leader of the Cherokee Nation and led resistance against federal Indian Removal policies.
Ross Landing in Chattanooga was named after this family and they are widely known as beloved to the Native American population they tried to defend.
An author named Augusta Jane Evans published a book called St. Elmo in 1866 that detailed how Lookout Mountain reminded her of the medieval St. Elmo Castle in Naples. She was friends with several influential people who lived on Lookout Mountain and visited many times.
Her book was wildly popular and its title passed on to the previously unnamed community. Even Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind, credits a character in Evans’ book for inspiring her leading character, Rhett Butler.
St. Elmo is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of Chattanooga’s oldest suburbs. It developed after a Yellow Fever outbreak in 1878 that caused more than 12,000 people to flee the city, looking for personal space and fresh air closer to Lookout Mountain.
Back then, there was only one road that went up the north side of the mountain and it was called Whiteside Turnpike. It was built in the 1850s and drivers had to pay a toll of two dollars to make the journey which could take up to FOUR hours.
In 1879, the St. Elmo Turnpike (later renamed Adolph S. Ochs Highway) was built to provide safer, easier, and quicker access to the mountain for a lower toll.
This land remained heavily wooded until around 1890 when the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park opened. It is hard to fathom that this park has been in existence for so long.
Tourism boomed, a demand for housing set off major construction projects and clearing trees, and the electric trolley line expanded into St. Elmo.
St. Elmo was incorporated in 1905, but another twenty years would pass until there was a direct, stable route connecting it to Chattanooga. Imagine this next time you make the quick 15-minute drive.
Once that connection was fully established in 1929, St. Elmo was incorporated into Chattanooga.
A St. Elmo resident and author named Jeffrey Webb has published a book called St. Elmo, Yesterday and Today if you would like to read more. I have tried to find the printed book online, but your best bet is to visit Webb’s website.
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN INCLINE RAILWAY
The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway was built in 1895 as another way to take passengers and residents up to the most steep or difficult parts of Lookout Mountain.
Because of the gorgeous views it afforded, it quickly became a tourist attraction as well, what it is used and known for today. Within five years all of its competing railways had been put out of business.
The route up and down the mountain has the distinction of being the world’s steepest passenger railway with a nearly 73% grade, and is known as “America’s Most Amazing Mile.”
This blows my mind a bit because I have taken a few funiculars in Germany that were so steep I thought the rail car would flip over backwards, and this is even steeper.
The southern terminus is at street level in the center of St. Elmo, and the northern terminus is up on top of Lookout Mountain. Huge thanks to my bestie for taking these railway photos!
***Update: Sadly, on 12/7/24, a fire caused Incline Railway to close for an unknown duration of time. Check their website or call to make sure they have reopened before venturing out there in the future. Other Lookout Mountain attractions were operating as per usual as of 1/5/24.
HISTORY IN STEEL
The St. Elmo (A History in Steel) monument outside of the 1885 Grill is fascinating.
It was created by artist Charles Pilkey in 2014 and depicts 37 different figures that represent the history of St. Elmo and the events that have shaped it over the years.
I will link you to this in-depth explanation because it would be a disgrace on my part to attempt to better explain each figure in summarized detail when the author of this article has already got it covered.
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
For such a small district, there are several quality and diverse choices to get a meal or chat over drinks.
Goodman Coffee is a great spot to enjoy your favourite treat while people watching.
There is another location of The Hot Chocolatier in St. Elmo as well as the Naughty Cat Cafe.
The Tap House & Empyreal Brewing is in a massive historical building that stands as a centerpiece of St. Elmo.
They have over 30 active taps but also have a well-stocked selection of wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic options.
Little Coyote Restaurant, Sawasdee Thai, Bocaccia Italian, Mr. T’s Pizza & Ice Cream, Purple Daisy Picnic Café are all within walking distance.
Our favourite restaurant in St. Elmo is Han-Mi Korean. Their signature dish is their Korean fried chicken which comes in a garlic soy sauce by default, but you can choose from several spicier sauces.
We love the radish kimchi and long to go back for a bowl of steaming ramen next time.
Woodshop Listening Room hosts vinyl nights, jazz concerts and other live bands. I really love this mural outside their building.
SHOPPING
Stop by the St. Elmo Mercantile while you are out and about, for a souvenir or a new piece made by local artists.
MUSEUMS
There are two unique museums in St. Elmo, especially if you are interested in antique and vintage vehicles.
The International Towing & Recovery Museum is the first and only one of its kind.
Chattanooga is credited as the “Birthplace of Towing” in the US and hosts an impressive collection of interesting automobiles and other machines that have been picked up since then 1916.
I took my brother because this is 100% his thing, though I only share an empathetic interest. I loved watching him light up over each new display.
My favourite part was all the decorative hood ornaments.
The Coker Museum showcases automobiles, signs, and other vintage memorabilia in a 13,000 square feet warehouse that can be rented for private events.
As someone who does not know the ins and outs or understand every engine and gadget like my brother, I was just happy to walk around and gawk at all the rad cars.
They even have some old planes in the show room.
Honest Charley Speed Shop is a fully functional mechanic shop that specializes in custom restorations and parts.
It is located inside the same building, owned and operated by the same individuals.
Depending on when you visit, you can catch a glimpse of them at work.
And of course, there are even more cool hood ornaments.
LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN
Lookout Mountain is usually spoken about as a tourist attraction these days rather than a geographic feature or historic landmark.
The major attractions on Lookout Mountain include the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Ruby Falls, the northern terminus of the Incline Railway, and Rock City, famously painted across barns and billboards all over the United States.
You can read about our trip to Rock City here.
In the area for a while? Follow me to Chattanooga’s Southside, Riverfront, and the MLK & Big 9 district.
********************
© Copyright Fernwehtun, 2015- Current. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Fernwehtun and Fernwehtun.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Fernweh, An Ache for Distant Places 
Leave a comment