Knox Heritage
Knox Heritage is a Knoxville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1974 that delivers historic preservation advocacy, education, grants, technical assistance, and easements across a 16-county East Tennessee region, serving property owners, developers, and preservation enthusiasts through programs anchored by Historic Westwood and the PastPort museum coalition.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersKnoxville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Knox Heritage does
Knox Heritage is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit historic preservation organization founded in 1974 and headquartered at 3425 Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee. The organization operates a portfolio of preservation services, educational programming, and a flagship historic house museum (Historic Westwood), serving preservation enthusiasts, historic property owners in Knoxville's H/NC overlay districts, developers and real estate professionals, local businesses, and regional civic leaders across a 16-county East Tennessee footprint. Core products include Historic Westwood tours (the only Tennessee site in the National Trust's Historic Artists' Homes and Studios program), the $40 PastPort cultural pass (covering seven Historic House Museums of Knoxville plus the Museum of East Tennessee History), Community Preservation Grants and Small Renovation Grants (up to $2,500 with a 35% homeowner match), technical assistance for Historic Tax Credit applications and National Register nominations, preservation easements (held on 10 properties), the Vintage Properties Fund, and educational offerings such as the annual East Tennessee Preservation Conference and Preservation Network lecture series.
The organization's underlying operations center on preservation methodology, easement administration, property restoration management, and educational programming rather than proprietary technology; the core technology field is explicitly marked "Not applicable." Knox Heritage monetizes through a diversified nonprofit revenue stack: tiered membership programs ($60-$10,000 annually across nine tiers including Legacy Circle levels), tax-deductible donations via qgiv, signature event fundraisers (Scruffy City Soirée, Suppers & Such), Westwood tour admissions ($10 adult), PastPort passes ($40), customized corporate sponsorships, planned giving/bequests, and grant disbursements. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on grassroots volunteer networks, member events, and direct outreach to property owners via grant programs and technical assistance. The organization partners closely with the Aslan Foundation, the City of Knoxville, the Knoxville Museum of Art, AIA East Tennessee, the University of Tennessee, and other regional cultural institutions, and maintains 1-10 staff supported by an active Board of Directors and volunteer docent corps.
Knox Heritage firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Knox Heritage
- Legal name
- Knox Heritage
- Website
- https://knoxheritage.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Knox Heritage is a Knoxville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1974 that delivers historic preservation advocacy, education, grants, technical assistance, and easements across a 16-county East Tennessee region, serving property owners, developers, and preservation enthusiasts through programs anchored by Historic Westwood and the PastPort museum coalition.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Knox Heritage industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Historic Preservation Services
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (712120)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)
Keywords
Where Knox Heritage is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Knoxville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Knox Heritage business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Members provide essential financial support for educational opportunities, restoration projects, and advocacy year-round. Membership allows connecting with other preservation enthusiasts, staying informed, and enjoying special benefits like invitations to members-only events.
- Donations: Tax-deductible donations advance the mission to protect Knoxville's unique character for future generations by preserving, restoring, and transforming historically significant structures and places.
- Event Fundraisers: The Scruffy City Soiree is Knox Heritage's largest annual fundraiser, bringing together community leaders, businesses, and preservation advocates. Funds raised support work to protect threatened landmarks, invest in historic neighborhoods, provide preservation education, and expand access to preservation through Community Preservation Grants.
- Tours and Admissions: Westwood tours generate revenue with adult admissions at $10. PastPort passes at $40 provide access to all seven Historic House Museums of Knoxville.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for programs and events reach a broad audience of people who love history, architecture, and culture. Each sponsorship is customized to fit unique business needs.
- Planned Giving: Legacy gifts through wills or living trusts provide long-term financial security. Options include bequests, life insurance gifts, real estate gifts, and retirement plan designations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Young Patron membership for ages 21-39 |
| Subscription | Monthly | Patron membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Sustainer membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Benefactor membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Business Membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | 1791 Heritage Circle (Legacy Circle) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Advocates Circle (Legacy Circle) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Protectors Circle (Legacy Circle) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Founders Circle (Legacy Circle) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Westwood Tour Admission |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | PastPort - access to 7 Historic House Museums |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Small Renovation Grant Program |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | East Tennessee Preservation Conference |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Preservation Network events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
Knox Heritage product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Knox Heritage is a nonprofit historic preservation organization that advocates for, educates about, and invests in the protection of Knoxville's historic structures and neighborhoods. It funds and administers preservation programs — including Community Preservation Grants, Small Renovation Grants, Preservation Easements on 10 properties, and the Vintage Properties Fund — while operating Historic Westwood as a public museum and offering technical assistance (Historic Tax Credit consulting, National Register nominations) and educational programming (the East Tennessee Preservation Conference, Preservation Network lectures, and the Historic Downtown Walking Tour).
Product overview
Knox Heritage is a nonprofit historic preservation organization offering a portfolio of preservation services, educational programs, and membership-based access to historic properties. The core offerings include Historic Westwood (the organization's flagship historic house museum and gallery), the PastPort cultural site pass for visiting multiple Knoxville historic museums, and various grant programs including Community Preservation Grants and Small Renovation Grants. Technical assistance services cover Historic Tax Credit applications and National Register nominations. Educational programming includes the annual East Tennessee Preservation Conference, Preservation Network lectures, and the Historic Downtown Knoxville Walking Tour. Signature fundraising events include the Scruffy City Soirée and Suppers & Such. The organization also holds preservation easements on 10 properties and maintains the Fragile & Fading list of threatened historic sites.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Historic Westwood: The historic home, studio, and art gallery of artist Adelia Armstrong Lutz, operated by Knox Heritage as a museum and tourist destination. Features the largest collection of Adelia's paintings on public display.
Products and services
- Historic Westwood Historic Westwood is the historic home, studio, and gallery of artist Adelia Armstrong Lutz, built in 1890 by the Baumann Brothers in Queen Anne style with Richardsonian Romanesque elements. Operated by Knox Heritage as a public museum offering docent-led tours that showcase Adelia's artwork, fresco paintings by C. Mortimer Thompson, and the home's architecture. It holds the largest public collection of Adelia Armstrong Lutz paintings and is one of only 55 homes in the U.S. inducted into the Historic Artists' Homes and Studios program.
- PastPort PastPort is a $40 multi-site tour pass that grants access to all seven Historic House Museums of Knoxville plus the Museum of East Tennessee History, spanning more than 100 years of combined regional history. It is aimed at history enthusiasts and visitors seeking a bundled cultural experience, with proceeds supporting the Historic House Museums of Knoxville coalition.
- Community Preservation Grants
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 50 years of preservation work in Knoxville
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Knox Heritage
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Knox Heritage technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Knox Heritage partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Aslan FoundationcoreDonated Historic Westwood to Knox Heritage in 2013 after purchasing it from a fourth-generation family member. Also purchased and restored the Eugenia Williams House from 2020-2026. The Aslan Foundation has been instrumental in supporting Knox Heritage's preservation initiatives.
- Historic House Museums of Knoxville (HHMK)coreCoalition of seven historic homes and the Museum of East Tennessee History offering combined tours. Historic Westwood is one of the seven landmarks. All proceeds from PastPort sales benefit the Historic House Museums of Knoxville.
- Arts & Culture AllianceminorLocal arts organization that partners with Knox Heritage for cultural programming and preservation initiatives.
- Dogwood ArtsminorArts organization partnered with Knox Heritage for cultural preservation and community programming.
- Knoxville Museum of ArtminorMuseum partnered with Knox Heritage through the Shell House donation and easement arrangement, and shares commitment to preserving female artist legacies.
- Museum of East Tennessee History / East Tennessee Historical SocietyminorIncluded in PastPort program along with seven Historic House Museums. Also houses the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection used for property research.
- Calvin M. McClung Historical CollectionminorLocal history and genealogy department of Knox County Public Library providing research resources for historic property documentation and nomination support.
- University of TennesseeminorAcademic partner for preservation education and research. UT Special Collections provides resources for Knoxville history research.
- Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe CountyminorJessie Landl, Executive Director, presented at Knox Heritage's Preservation Network event on easements. Organizations share best practices for preservation easement programs.
- AIA East TennesseeminorConference partner for 2025 East Tennessee Preservation Conference; architects receive AIA LU/HSW credits for sessions.
- City of KnoxvillecoreCity of Knoxville partnered with Knox Heritage on Historic Preservation Fund, Homemaker Program for property acquisition, and received federal award (21.027) from U.S. Department of Treasury for Arts & Culture Alliance support.
- Knoxville Visitors CenterminorHistoric Downtown Walking Tour brochures available for pickup at the Knoxville Visitors Center.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Knox Heritage competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Tennessee Historical Commission: State-level government body administering National Register nominations and federal preservation programs in Tennessee — the primary state-level partner and partial competitor for preservation services that Knox Heritage also offers.
Direct peers
- San Francisco Heritage: City-focused historic preservation nonprofit operating walking tours, advocacy, technical assistance, and heritage programming — closely analogous to Knox Heritage's Knoxville-focused model.
- New York Landmarks Conservancy: Nonprofit providing technical assistance, preservation grants, easements, and advocacy for historic properties in New York City — directly parallel to Knox Heritage's technical assistance and Small Renovation Grant offerings.
- Historic Savannah Foundation: Savannah-based nonprofit that acquires, restores, and sells historic properties through a revolving fund, plus operates easements and advocacy — directly analogous to Knox Heritage's Vintage Properties Fund and easement programs.
- Preservation Virginia: Statewide historic preservation nonprofit managing multiple historic house museums, easements, advocacy, and education — comparable in scope and product mix to Knox Heritage at a broader geographic scale.
- Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County: Regional historic preservation nonprofit in Asheville, NC that operates preservation easements, advocacy, education, and tours — directly comparable mission and programming model to Knox Heritage, even explicitly cited as a peer sharing best practices.
- Historic Charleston Foundation: Long-standing preservation nonprofit operating easements, museum properties (Aiken-Rhett House), advocacy, and educational programming in Charleston — a more mature analog of the same regional historic preservation model.
- Cincinnati Preservation Association: Mid-size regional preservation nonprofit offering grants, advocacy, education, and historic property programming — comparable regional peer with a similar service portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit overseeing the Historic Artists' Homes and Studios program (which inducted Historic Westwood) and providing grants, advocacy, and policy work — a broader-scope incumbent that Knox Heritage interfaces with and partially competes with for donor attention.
Emerging players
- Historic House Museums of Knoxville: Coalition of seven historic home museums (including Historic Westwood) offering combined ticketing via PastPort — a peer network and partial competitor for museum visitation revenue within the Knoxville market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Knox Heritage social profiles
Digital presenceKnox Heritage financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Knox Heritage leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Knox Heritage funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Knox Heritage M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Knox Heritage
What does Knox Heritage do?
Knox Heritage is a nonprofit historic preservation organization that advocates for, educates about, and invests in the protection of Knoxville's historic structures and neighborhoods. It funds and administers preservation programs — including Community Preservation Grants, Small Renovation Grants, Preservation Easements on 10 properties, and the Vintage Properties Fund — while operating Historic Westwood as a public museum and offering technical assistance (Historic Tax Credit consulting, National Register nominations) and educational programming (the East Tennessee Preservation Conference, Preservation Network lectures, and the Historic Downtown Walking Tour).
Is Knox Heritage a public or private company?
Knox Heritage is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Knox Heritage founded?
Knox Heritage was founded in 1974. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Knox Heritage based?
Knox Heritage is headquartered in Knoxville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Knox Heritage make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are donations, event Fundraisers, tours and Admissions, sponsorships and planned Giving.
Who are Knox Heritage's main competitors?
Tennessee Historical Commission is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are San Francisco Heritage, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Historic Savannah Foundation, Preservation Virginia, Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County, Historic Charleston Foundation and Cincinnati Preservation Association. National Trust for Historic Preservation is listed as a broad incumbent. Historic House Museums of Knoxville is listed as an emerging player.
Does Knox Heritage have an API?
No public API is recorded for Knox Heritage.
What industry is Knox Heritage in?
Knox Heritage's product category is Historic Preservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAE, Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAA, Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty). Its NAICS code is 7121.