Frank, here’s a shot I took recently in Knoxville TN. The JFG Coffee building is on the right, and the huge sign on the left is apparently situated to be visible from the railroad tracks to passing passengers.
Vance Bass
200 WEST JACKSON AVENUE
JFG Coffee Company was founded in Morristown in 1882 by James Franklin Goodson as a wholesale grocery company. JFG was one of the best-known regional roasters and marketers of ground coffee, tea, mayonnaise, and peanut butter. JFG was acquired by Louisiana’s Reily Foods Company (maker of Luzianne Tea) in 1965, closed this location in 2005, and moved its roasting facility near Sutherland Avenue.
Originally the home of Bowman Moore Hat Company, this five-story structure built in 1924, with its six-bay façade and elaborate cornices, has for most of its history served as a roasting plant for JFG coffee beans. The building became JFG’s roasting plant and headquarters in 1926.
The building’s Romanesque influences were typical of buildings involved in the jobbing trade that developed during the latter part of the 19th century. The building was converted into residences in 2009.
Knoxville Heritage dot org
