This list of tallest buildings in Knoxville ranks skyscrapers and other structures by height in the U.S. city of Knoxville, Tennessee. The tallest building in Knoxville is the First Tennessee Plaza (Plaza Tower), at 27 stories, followed by the adjacent Riverview Tower, at 24 stories. The Tower at Morgan Hill (formerly the Kingston Apartments) is the third highest at 21 stories. The Sunsphere, which stands at 265feet, is the city's fourth tallest.
This list ranks the top-ten tallest buildings in Knoxville, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed.
| Rank | Name | Image | Height in feet | Height in Meters | Floors | Year | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Tennessee Plaza | 327 | 100 | 27 | 1979 | [1] | ||
| 2 | Riverview Tower | 312 | 95 | 24 | 1985 | |||
| 3 | Tower at Morgan Hill (Kingston Apartments) | 22 | 1967 | |||||
| 4 | Sunsphere | 265 | 81 | 5 | 1982 | [2] | ||
| 5 | Andrew Johnson Building | 203 | 62 | 18 | 1928 | [3] | ||
| 6 | The Holston | 193 | 59 | 15 | 1912 | [4] [5] | ||
| 7 | The Burwell/Tennessee Theatre | 167 | 51 | 10 | 1907 | [6] | ||
| 8 | Sterchi Lofts | 147 | 45 | 12 | 1926 | [7] | ||
| 9 | US Bank Building | 146.87 | 12 | 1965 | [8] | |||
| 10 | Church Street United Methodist Church | 141 | 43 | 2 | 1931 | [9] | ||
| 11 | Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee (A Wing) | 124 | 38 | 10 | 1948 | [10] |
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville's campus contains several tall buildings. While sources on their height are difficult to find, sources that list the number of stories indicate that, if their heights were known, a few of them may be among Knoxville's tallest ten buildings (as in the table above). As of January 28, 2024, the tallest buildings on campus as measured by number of stories (given in parentheses for each) - and that have at least as many stories as the smallest building listed on the table above - were the McClung Tower (17), Laurel Residence Hall (15), Carrick Hall North (14), Dabney-Buehler Hall (14), Andy Holt Tower (13), Volunteer Hall (12), Hess Hall (11), 11th Street Parking Garage (10), Frank G Clement Hall (10), Massey Hall (10), Stokely Management Center (10), and the West Skybox Addition (10).[11] Interestingly, Carrick Hall South is listed as having 0 stories, despite having connecting stories with Carrick Hall North.[11] [12]
The smokestack of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's steam plant was one of Knoxville's tallest buildings from its completion in 1966 until its demolition in 2016. Standing at 300 feet tall (which is taller than the Sunsphere), it was the tallest building on campus at the time of its completion.[13] [14] The coal-powered steam plant was converted to a natural gas plant, which included the smokestack being demolished; this process started in March 2014 and concluded in January 2016.[15] A time-lapse video of the entire demolition process was recorded and posted online.[16]
This is a partial list of skyscrapers and high-rises that have been planned in Knoxville at over 15 stories, but which projects have been canceled.
| Rank | Name | Height in feet | Height in Meters | District | Floors | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fountains at Parkside | 249 | 76 | West Knoxville | 12 | [17] |
| 2 | Worsham Watkins Tower | 150 | 46 | Downtown Knoxville | 35 | [18] |
| 3 | Church/Gay Street Development II | Unavailable | 25 | [19] | ||
| 4 | Hyatt Hotel | 18 | [20] | |||
| 5 | Church/Gay Street Development I | 17 | [21] | |||