A Castle, a Hotel, and Covenant College

As you drive east on I-24, winding between the mountains of Tennessee, passing over the Tennessee River, you come around a curve and look up to see a castle on a ridge.

Wait.

A castle? In eastern Tennessee?

What you’re seeing is Carter Hall, the flagship building of Covenant College. Once the grand Lookout Mountain Hotel, the castle-like building now houses college students, administrative offices, and the Great Hall (a former ballroom turned college cafeteria).

History of Carter Hall

Originally opened as a luxury resort in 1928, Carter Hall used to welcome guests from all over the country in the “Castle in the Clouds,” as it was called. However, after struggling through the Great Depression and decades of new owners, reopenings, and failed business ventures, the castle’s time as a resort ended forever in the early 60s. Then, Covenant College entered the story.

Founded in 1955, Covenant moved from Pasadena, CA to St. Louis, MO (where we rubbed elbows with Covenant Seminary), before making our permanent home on Lookout Mountain, GA. The Lord provided the run-down Georgia hotel in 1964 so we could begin making our mountaintop home.

Now, Carter Hall is once again bustling with activity and beautifully restored. In 2018, Carter Hall won the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's Excellence in Restoration Award and has been recognized as one of the most beautiful college campuses in America.

About Covenant College

A Christian liberal arts college, Covenant trains students to explore and express the preeminence of Jesus Christ in all things. Covenant’s Reformed theology and worldview comes from its foundation as the college of the Presbyterian Church in America. Committed to the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, Covenant equips students to faithfully steward their God-given abilities throughout their life and career.

More than 45 states and 16 countries are represented in our student body. With a wide-array of majors, (ranging from art and philosophy to chemistry and pre-engineering), students of every interest find their callings at Covenant.

A Vision Fulfilled

Paul B. Carter - the businessman whose dream spurred the Lookout Mountain Hotel venture - watched his resort struggle over the decades, and his dream that people from all over the United States would visit his hotel and even make their home in Chattanooga seemed to dissipate. However, today his vision is fulfilled in a way he never could have imagined: Students from all over the world come to Covenant College, many living in Mr. Carter’s eponymous building, and numerous Covenant College alumni make their homes in Chattanooga and the surrounding areas.