Today on American Nomad we’re continuing our Nashville Music City Adventures at The Parthenon.
Nashville has long been dubbed ‘The Athens of the South,’ even prior to becoming a music mecca, Nashville has always prided itself on education, arts and culture. Post Civil War it became home to Fisk University, a historically black college whose music program became world famous with its Fisk Jubilee Singers. The singers toured throughout the United States and even went to England to perform for Queen Victoria!
Between 1865 and 1912 nearly a dozen institutions for higher-education were formed in Nashville including my alma mater Belmont University (which started off as Ward-Belmont Women’s College), Lipscomb and of course Vanderbilt, among others.
A focus on education and cultural opportunities became part of the fabric of Nashville, combined with its central location and railroad access it rose again from the ashes of the Civil War.
In 1897, Tennessee decided to celebrate the state’s centennial with a mini world’s fair called The Centennial Exposition. It was a huge undertaking and brought hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans and tourists from all over the country to Nashville.
Given their moniker, ‘The Athens of the South,’ planners got the idea to build a full size authentic replica of the Parthenon in Athens. This would be a full-scale model of how the ancient structure would have appeared in its heyday. This would be the centerpiece of the Exposition, which also features other classically inspired structures and pavilions where visitors could see a wide variety of exhibits and peruse vendors.
The designer of the Centennial Parthenon was Nashville native and well-known architect William Crawford Smith who also designed parts of Vanderbilt’s campus.
The Parthenon was not intended to be permanent, but it was so beloved by residents and visitors the city of Nashville decided to leave it standing.
However, constructed for a temporary exhibition, the structure soon deteriorated. By 1920, the decay was so significant that patching was no longer feasible, and the decision was made to rebuild it as a permanent landmark. The city then engaged local architect Russell Hart and architectural historian William Bell Dinsmoor as a consultant, with Foster and Creighton serving as the general contractors for the rebuilding project.
The goal was to make The Parthenon as historically accurate to the original in Greece, while also being able to serve as an art gallery and gathering space for the people of Nashville.
The new Parthenon merged classical design with modern engineering. The roof, expanded walls and load-bearing columns were made of reinforced concrete, a new building material of the twentieth century. The brick walls and load-bearing columns of the 1897 building were retained and incorporated into the new construction.
Hart and Dinsmoor brought in sculptor George Julian Zolnay, who had originally created the pedimented sculptures on the 1897 Parthenon, to make the metopes of the Doric frieze.
Get to know Greek Architecture:
- What is a frieze: Friezes serve primarily as decorative horizontal bands on structures, both interior and exterior, often appearing on walls or near ceilings as an integral part of artistic and architectural design. For the ancient Greeks, these bands were a significant medium for showcasing their culture, wealth, strength, beliefs, and power. As an artistic and architectural element prevalent in ancient Greek design, friezes adorned numerous buildings and structures, most notably the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. A Doric Frieze is different from other friezes because of its alternating pattern of two key features:
- Triglyphs: These are vertically channeled tablets. The name “triglyph” comes from the Greek for “three grooves,” although they typically feature two full grooves and two half-grooves at the edges, creating the appearance of three vertical bands.
- Metopes were the rectangular slabs that adorned the outside of Doric temples, just above the exterior colonnade. According to the Metropolis site in Athens Greece, The Parthenon was the only ancient Greek temple to feature sculpted reliefs on all ninety-two of its metopes. The original metopes were carved in Athens between 445 and 440 BC and each depict a self-contained mythical scene. Many of the mythical conflicts depicted were displayed as allusions to the Greeks’ recent real-life victories over the Persians.
- In middle school you may remember studying ancient Greece and the various columns and architecture styles: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The Parthenon was built mostly in the Doric order (style) but also included some Ionian columns. Learn more about Classical Architecture here.
- Doric order, used in The Parthenon, one of the orders of classical architecture, characterized by a simple and austere column and capital. A capital in architecture is the topmost member of a column, acting as a transition piece between the column and the structure it supports. It’s essentially the “head” of the column and can be designed with intricate details, especially in classical orders like Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.
In recreating the Parthenon in Nashville, local sculptor Belle Kinney and her Austrian-born husband Leopold Scholz were hired to create the permanent pediment figures. They wanted them to be as exact as possible, so with the help of the Centennial Park Board, they were able to purchase a set of casts of the original Parthenon marble fragments from The Victoria and Albert Museum around 1925.
Sculptor George Julian Zolnay, who had created the pedimental sculptures on the 1897 Parthenon, returned to make the metopes of the Doric frieze. Nashville sculptor Belle Kinney and her Austrian-born husband Leopold Scholz were hired to create the permanent pediment figures. To assist them in creating figures as close to the original as possible, the Park Board purchased from the Victoria and Albert Museum a set of casts of the original marble fragments. Work on the exterior of the building was completed by 1925.
The eleven-year construction of the Nashville Parthenon faced delays, partly attributed to financial setbacks, including the significant impact of the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Consequently, when the doors opened to the public in 1931, two prominent features were yet to be realized: the magnificent statue of Athena for the naos and the exterior Ionic frieze. Despite this initial incompleteness, donations for the Athena slowly gathered momentum, leading to the Park Board’s 1982 commission of Nashville sculptor Alan LeQuire to recreate the towering 42-foot statue for the interior. This ambitious undertaking took almost eight years to complete, finally reaching its exciting climax with the unveiling on May 20, 1990. This event reignited public enthusiasm and solidified the Nashville Parthenon’s status as a city icon. The final touches for the Athena – its gilding and painting – were achieved twelve years later, in 2002, marking the complete realization of this key element.
When you tour the Parthenon’s interior today, you’ll immediately notice the vibrant colors that bring the classical structure to life. It’s a striking contrast to the common perception of Greek sculpture as stark white marble or stone. However, as I learned a few years ago during a fascinating exhibit on color in Ancient Greece at The Met’s Greek Wing, these works of art were originally far from monochrome. Time has largely eroded the pigments, leaving us with the white surfaces we see today. Through meticulous research, the Nashville Parthenon has recreated those original colors, offering a glimpse into how these masterpieces would have appeared during the Golden Age of Athens.
Bringing Athena to life in Music City:
When first laying eyes on the statue of Athena, I was taken aback by the sheer enormity of the statue – it towers over guests with its size and splendor.
As we mentioned earlier, fundraising efforts in the 1980s-early 1990s helped finally construct this amazing statue of Athena. The sculptor and artist in charge, LeQuire began his journey by researching the Athena statue of antiquity. The accounts of the statue are somewhat limited as it was lost to history in 400 CE. LeQuire depended on modern classical scholars including esteemed archaeologists Dr. Brunilde Sismondo Ridgway and Dr. Evelyn Bryd Harrison to design the statue based on archaeological information.
Parthenon Casts:
You can experience the authentic wonders of ancient Greece in the museum as you view the 14 casts from the original Parthenon Marbles that were purchased in the 1920s from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The casts were made using the actual sculptures from The Parthenon allowing you to see the closest replica to the actual setting in Greece today.
What is so amazing about The Parthenon is Nashville is that it truly is a living historical monument. This is not a Las Vegas style recreation (not that those are terrible, but at the end of the day they are a bit like fun houses)…this works to pay sincere homage to the ancient Greek civilization and serve as a gathering space for present arts and culture as well. The detailed work that went into designing this for both the exhibition and the permanent structure shows the power of arts and community.
While I love Grecian art and architecture my favorite portion of The Parthenon is the permanent collection of American Art masters.
n 1897, James M. Cowan from Aurora, Illinois, visited the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. He visited as the director of the Armour Drill Corps of Chicago, a group of young women performing marching drills. Cowan already had ties to Tennessee. At the age of 13, he had moved with his family to Tullahoma, Tennessee, and remained there until he was in his twenties when he moved to Cincinnati. He subsequently made his wealth in insurance, but his true passion was collecting art. As he neared the end of his life, Cowan had about 700 pieces in his collection. Aware that Nashville’s Parthenon was being reconstructed as a permanent structure, he decided to anonymously donate a portion of his collection to be housed at the city’s most iconic museum. Between 1927 and 1929, his collection of art works were shipped to Nashville to be moved into the Parthenon upon completion of the reconstruction.
In fact, he purchased many pieces specifically with this destination in mind, eventually giving 63 pieces to Nashville. These works, all oils on canvas dating 1765-1923, are housed permanently in the Parthenon and bear the name of its generous donor—the James M. Cowan Collection of American Art.
Cowan wanted to showcase the talents of American artists, especially those who like ancient Athenians who were promoting arts and culture in their society, these American artists charted the way for American fine arts. Of the fifty-seven artists in this collection, many were members of the National Academy of Design, which was a prestigious artists’ league of the time. You can find connections between artists based on their ‘school of painting’ (i.e. Hudson River School, location, styles like Impressionism).
Cowan’s collection leans heavily into the emerging Impressionism movement. Impressionism was a school of painting introduced by the French in the first Impressionism Exhibition held in Paris in 1874. Check out my Art Expeditions Blog on the 1874 Impressionism Exhibit from earlier this year.
Other interesting exhibits:
Another highlight, when you first enter the museum is a historical timeline with artifacts about the 1897 Centennial Exhibition and all of the activities that took place and its impact on Nashville and those who attended.
The museum also has temporary exhibitions that range from works from local artists to nationally touring exhibitions. There is always something new and exciting to see at the Parthenon. Check out the upcoming exhibition schedule here.
The Setting:
The Parthenon is situated in the beautiful Centennial Park. One of my favorite things when I lived in Nashville was the city’s focus on creating and maintaining amazing green spaces and public parks in the midst of all the urban buildup. Centennial Park is located across the street from the main Vanderbilt Campus and only a few minutes from downtown, yet it feels a world away. The open green spaces are dotted with large trees and even a pond for fishing (I took a fly-fishing class there in college). Centennial Park is a great spot to take a walk, enjoy a picnic and soak in the views of the Parthenon. The park also has special events throughout the year from crafts festivals to theatre.
Another cool spot at Centennial Park is the Woman’s Suffragette Monument that was also designed by LeQuire. Tennessee helped secure women the right to vote in 1920 when it became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment. Learn more here
Planning Your Visit:
I recommend blocking off at least two hours for the Parthenon to ensure you have time to view the exhibits and explore the Grecian interior of the monument and Athena.
On select nights they are open until 7 p.m. making it a good spot to visit on a late afternoon after doing other museums in the morning/early afternoon. You can purchase tickets in advance here.
The area has lots of restaurants nearby and usually you can find a parking space or take an Uber/Lyft.
If you want a convenient hotel in the vicinity, I personally recommend The Hampton Inn on Elliston as you can walk to Centennial Park and it’s close to downtown too.
I hope this introduction to Nashville’s Parthenon ignited your interest in learning more about classical art and architecture and traveling to Nashville to see it in person.
In our upcoming posts we’ll continue to visit many of my favorite Nashville haunts including The Nashville Zoo, Ryman Auditorium, and The Natchez Trace…I’ll also share fun itineraries to help plan your trip.
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Meet Adele Lassiter, the travel enthusiast behind American Nomad Traveler. This blog is where she shares her love for history, cool museums, art, and travel tips. And when she’s not writing, Adele is also a talented singer-songwriter with a passion for Americana music. Her new album is available here: adelelassiter.bandcamp.com
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