Ayres Hall and Tyson House, two historic University of Tennessee buildings, joined the Hopecote Guest House on Aug. 1 as the only three buildings on campus to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“What’s great about Ayres Hall and Tyson House is that they qualify to be on the register on so many levels,” said Dave Irvin, associate vice chancellor for facilities. “They are great pieces of architecture so just the structures themselves, even if they had no history, would be worthy of being on the national register. But, these buildings have so much more. They have history. They are critical to the development of our institution and our city … These buildings are exactly what the national registry is all about.”

Buildings nominated to the register must possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. Buildings must also be associated with historical events, contributed to history, be associated with lives of significant people in our past, embody distinctive architectural characteristics or have yielded or be likely to yield important historical information.

Tyson House, once of the home of Knoxville icon Lawrence D. Tyson, is now one of three campus building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 16,338-square-foot building now houses the offices of Development and Alumni Affairs. (University of Tennessee)

“I think it is important that the university continues to shine lights on these wonderful symbols, particularly as we’re figuring out how we embrace the 21st century and how we become a better university, a top 25 university,” Irvin said.

Home to the math department and the offices of the College of Arts and Sciences, iconic Ayres Hall sits atop The Hill on UT’s campus. Named for UT’s 12th president, Brown Ayres, the building was completed in 1921.

Ayres Hall is recognized as one of Knoxville’s oldest examples of Collegiate Gothic style architecture, The building’s design was derived from buildings at Oxford and Cambridge universities in England.

Tyson House, purchased in 1954, is home to the University’s offices of Development and Alumni Affairs.

Built in 1895, the Queen Anne-style home serves as one of the last remaining examples of the Neoclassical “Colonial Classic” style developed by local architect George Barber.

Betty Tyson, the wife of former Army General and U.S. Sen. Lawrence D. Tyson, bought the house in 1895 after Knoxville businessman James M. Meek was forced to auction the home.

Following Betty Tyson’s death in 1934, the couple’s daughter, Isabella Tyson Gilpin, donated the house to St. John’s Episcopal Church. The church used the building as a student center until it sold to the university.