Memories of the S&W

From 1937 to 1981, the S&W Cafeteria was an important part of life on Knoxville's Gay Street. Built as one of the area's first cafeteria-style restaurants, the S&W offered downtown patrons inexpensive food, dinner music, a friendly and familiar wait staff and an innovative art-deco design. After laying empty and abandoned for years, the restaurant will re-open this week as the S&W Grand. To mark this occasion, WUOT-FM and the Knoxville News Sentinel asked some former S&W employees and customers to recount their memories of this cultural landmark. This story was co-produced by WUOT's Matt Shafer Powell and Carly Harrington of the Knoxville News Sentinel and features Avon Rollins Sr., Anna Turner "Blondie" Johnson, David Watson, Dorothy Burchfield "Mother" Blackburn, John Craig and Von Garrett...

Posted by mpowell7 at October 19, 2009 06:19 AM | Links to this post
Categories: