East Tennessee History Center

In 2004, Barber McMurry led an extensive renovation of the existing East Tennessee History Center while tying it into the adjacent, historic U.S. Custom House, listed on the National Register for Historic Places, and adding an addition.

The design restored the Custom House's historic features while simultaneously tying it into the existing History Center. The new addition is clad in Tennessee marble to complement the historic architecture. The East Tennessee History Center houses library stacks, research areas, rare materials collections, and archives — including Barber McMurry's own historic archives — in the Calvin M. McClung Collection.

With exhibit consultant maltbie, Barber McMurry also designed the permanent "Voices of the Land: The Peoples of East Tennessee" exhibit, which explores the area's history — from earliest settlers through the twenty-first century, highlighting unique artifacts, multimedia displays, and interactive exhibits, including a street car and pioneer cabin.