For decades, Kern’s Bakery would greet Knoxville, Tennessee, residents or road-trippers emerging from the Great Smoky Mountains with the scent of freshly baked bread as they drove past the historic building. Now, those olfactory senses are tingling once again thanks to Knoxville-based Johnson Architecture’s transformation of the 1931 National Register–listed industrial bakery into a bustling culinary destination. Kern’s Food Hall—complete with various food vendors, a rooftop bar, and an outdoor event space—opened in April 2024.

The bakery’s ovens stopped running more than a decade ago, and the 65,000-square-foot structure sat vacant for several years after shuttering. But preservationists and a series of developers worked to save the property, and Johnson Architecture came on board in 2017. The firm led a historically sensitive reimagining of the site, funded in part by state and federal historic tax credits.

The building is notable for its Art Deco facade, which features a wide staircase leading to three front doors surrounded by stone detailing. “That was all kept intact,” says architect Jimmy Ryan. The same goes for the wood ceilings and, where possible, terra-cotta tile flooring. Visitors can glimpse an old factory silo inside.

New elements complement the historic design. The original clerestories, for example, are joined by similar versions that are sloped, allowing more natural light to reach the main indoor dining area. Meanwhile, to maintain a single-tenant feel, the designers utilized decorative steelwork—painted a dark charcoal to balance the weathered original steel beams—to form a boundary for each vendor’s space.

So far, the work is paying off. Ryan says the site has become a popular viewing spot for University of Tennessee football games on Saturdays. “So many people were anxious to see this property revitalized and back in use,” he says.