architecture tour nashville

A Tour of Nashville’s Architectural Landmarks

The city of Nashville is more than just a hub for the music and arts community. It’s also a city rich in architecturally impressive buildings. Here is a selection of structures that stand out with their beautiful designs.

Ryman auditorium.

Nashville’s most iconic live music venue is the Ryman Auditorium, designed by architect Hugh Cathcart Thomspon and opened in 1892. The original plans for the building called for a balcony, but due to a lack of funds, the structure didn’t get one until almost 1897. In 1989, Gaylord Entertainment began renovating the exterior of the building, installing a new roof and replacing broken windows and broken bricks. The interior was untouched until 2012 when construction commenced on a new stage made of medium-brown Brazilian teak. Supported by the original hickory support beams, reinforced with concrete foundations, this new platform tripled the stage’s load capacity. The most recent update to the Ryman Auditorium was a $14 million renovation and expansion project, completed in 2015.

Ryman Auditorium, 116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN, USA , +1 615 889 3060

Located in Nashville’s Centennial Park, the Parthenon , built in 1897, is a replica of the Athenian temple in Greece and is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture, in part due to its polychrome decorations. Originally built with plaster, wood, and brick, it wasn’t intended to be a permanent structure; however, from 1920–31, renovations to the interior and exterior were completed. In 2002, the Parthenon underwent a full makeover, upgrading the exterior lighting to illuminate the columns with different colors. Nashville Parthenon, 2500 West End Ave, Nashville, TN, USA , +1 615 862 8431

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Cathedral of the Incarnation

Under the guidance of Bishop Thomas Sebastian Byrne, construction of the Cathedral of the Incarnation began in 1910 and finished in 1914. It’s the third cathedral to call downtown Nashville home. The design was the work of architect Fred Asmus, who was inspired by the traditional Italianate architecture of a famous Roman basilica. It has since undergone two major renovations, in 1937 and 1987. Liturgical design consultant Father Richard S. Vosko supervised the latter renovation.

Cathedral of the Incarnation, 2015 West End Ave, Nashville, TN, USA , +1 615 327 2330

Belmont Mansion

What started as an Italian villa-style summer home for Adelicia and Joseph Acklen is now an antebellum home that sits on the campus of Belmont University . The architects behind the project were Adolphus Heiman and William Strickland. The original estate, completed in 1853, had 36 rooms, a guest house, an art gallery, and a bowling alley. There was even a zoo with bears, monkeys, alligators, and singing birds located on the grounds. The mansion incorporates both Italianate and Greek Revival architecture, and its original Venetian glass remains in the windows and doors. Belmont Mansion, 1900 Belmont Blvd, Nashville, TN, USA , +1 615 460 5459

Tennessee State Capitol

The Tennessee State Capitol stands on the site where the Holy Rosary Cathedral once stood. Modeling the structure after a Greek Ionic temple, architect William Strickland designed the building, completed in 1859. The interior and exterior feature limestone, and some interior columns come from single pieces of stone. The roof trusses are wrought iron, and there’s a lantern structure, designed after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, located above the roofline.

Tennessee State Capitol, 600 Charlotte Ave, Nashville, TN, USA , +1 615 741 2692

Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage

Once the home of President Andrew Jackson and his wife Rachel, The Hermitage , completed around 1821, is a two-story Federal-style building composed of bricks manufactured on-site by slaves. There were four rooms on both the first and second levels, and in 1831, Jackson had the mansion remodeled with the help of architect David Morrison. The fireplace mantel was decorated with a high-gloss paint and carved by a veteran of the Battle of New Orleans. There is also a large library and an entry hall with plank flooring, and two parlors feature crystal chandeliers and Italian marble mantels. Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, 4580 Rachels Ln, Hermitage, TN, USA , +1 615 889 2941

Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum

With front windows that resemble piano keys and a building that forms a bass clef when viewed from the air, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum symbolizes the Nashville music scene in architectural detail. Thanks to the work of Tuck-Hinton Architects, PLC, the building was constructed with wood, concrete, stone and steel, and Georgia yellow pine on the floors. The Rotunda is a cylindrical structure that resembles a drum kit or water tower, and the four tiers of the roof showcase the way that recording technology has evolved, from the 78 to the LP to the 45 to the CD. Finally, stone bars on the outside symbolize the notes of the song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” by the Carter Family. This song title is also on the interior wall of the building.

Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum, 222 5th Ave S, Nashville, TN, USA , +1 615 416 2001

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The 50 best architecture in Nashville

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1 Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage

2 Ryman Auditorium

3 The Parthenon

4 cheekwood, 5 belle meade historic site & winery.

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6 Belmont Mansion

7 tennessee state capitol, 8 country music hall of fame and museum, 9 john seigenthaler pedestrian bridge, 10 tennessee state museum, 11 bicentennial capitol mall state park, 12 the union station nashville yards, autograph collection, 13 historic travellers rest historic house museum, 14 the downtown presbyterian church, 15 at&t building.

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16 Fort Negley

17 esa (earl swensson associates), 18 pfeffer torode architecture, 19 ryan thewes architect, 20 studio 8 design :: matt taylor, architect, 21 dryden architecture and design, 22 906 studio architects, 23 manuel zeitlin architects, 24 john teselle architecture, 25 scott wilson architect, llc.

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26 Johnny Cash Museum

27 gaylord opryland resort & convention center, 28 nashville zoo at grassmere, 29 marathon village, 30 adventure science center, 31 nashville symphony schermerhorn symphony center, 32 walk of fame park, 33 cathedral of the incarnation, 34 hatch show print, 35 andrew jackson statue.

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36 Customs House Nashville

37 michael goorevich architect, pllc., 38 norris architecture, 39 johnson johnson crabtree, 40 price harrison architect, aia, 41 allard ward architects llc, 42 four square design studio, 43 william c johnson architect, 44 wold | hfr design, 45 davis stokes collaborative pc.

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46 Hayden Nancy

47 hereford dooley architects, 48 zinc architecture, 49 fentress architecture nashville, 50 fifth third center, top searches in nashville, popular road trips from nashville, what's the weather like in nashville.

It depends on when you visit! We've compiled data from NASA on what the weather is like in Nashville for each month of the year: see the links below for more information.

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Nashville throughout the year

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Tour a Nashville Residence Where the Architecture Steals the Show

By Alyssa Bird

Photography by Melanie Acevedo

With all four kids grown and out of the house their family shared for 22 years, Lyn and Scott Sohr were ready for a new chapter. Having always preferred the building process to renovating, it came as sort of a surprise when they found themselves buying a dated 1990s fixer-upper after touring it on a whim. “It needed a total rehab, but the views of Nashville’s skyline sold us,” says Lyn of the 11,000-square-foot, four-bedroom residence. As luck would have it, Scott’s brother and sister-in-law are cofounders of the Nashville-based design firm Pencil & Paper Co. and knew exactly who to recommend for the overwhelming gut job: Enter AD100 interior designer Suzanne Kasler and architect Bill Ingram, both of whom are based in Atlanta.

“The house was in dire need of an identity,” Ingram says. “It was part Craftsman-style lodge and part Las Vegas opulence, with marble, travertine, and carved Corinthian columns. We really scratched our heads over how to make it cohesive.” In the end, Ingram and Kasler decided on a few major changes to the floor plan that would allow for better flow (the couple often hosts gatherings for up to 35 extended family members who all live in the area) and left no surface unturned in the process.

The entry features a Formations light fixture and a Liaigre desk. Architect Bill Ingram created a grand staircase to replace the wrought-iron spiral stair that previously stood in the center of the living area.

A seating area in the living room contains a sofa from Saladino and a pair of chairs from Jonas.

Ingram went about transforming a small sunken living room into a gracious entry hall (the current floor plan had lacked one) and installed a grand six-foot-wide staircase to replace the “dinky” spiral one in the main living area—a tall, narrow space that Ingram refers to as the spine of the house. “The biggest challenge was making that room more usable,” the architect says. “Originally it had a 30-foot vaulted ceiling with exposed timbers, and it just felt too much like a lodge. We brought the height down to 22 feet and swapped in a flat rough-sawn pine ceiling for a cleaner look.” The kitchen, with a choppy layout made worse by the odd placement of a staircase leading to the basement, was another point of contention. “There was a floor-to-ceiling aquarium and a massive electric carousel pantry that would rotate out of the floor,” Ingram explains. “I had never seen anything like it. It was overwhelming at first, but we stripped the home of its dated components and tried to give purpose to the rooms that hadn’t been thought out well. Now, the overall effect is more calming and spa-like.”

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Kasler further emphasized this spa-like quality by employing neutral furnishings and painting nearly the entire house in Benjamin Moore ’s White Dove. “White walls show off the strong architecture, which I wanted to be the main feature of the residence,” says the designer, adding that this was one of the most problematic houses she has ever laid her eyes on. “Renovating is always more challenging than building new,” Kasler says. “Still, some of my favorite projects have been renovations because they often turn out to be more interesting; this one started with a very traditional aesthetic and an unusual floor plan, but now it’s clean, tailored, and cozy—and every room has a function and encourages socialization.”

Aside from a few beloved pieces the Sohrs had in their previous home, Kasler chose mostly streamlined contemporary furnishings that are a far cry from what the couple had been living with previously. “In our last home, I was constantly redoing rooms to try to stay current,” Lyn says. “I wanted this one to be a place where I could live for several years without even the slightest thought of renovating—something timeless, comfortable, and inviting.”

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Aerosmith announces new dates for 2024 farewell tour 'Peace Out,' headed to Nashville

Aerosmith has announced the rescheduled 2024 dates for their farewell 'Peace Out Tour.' The tour, which was originally set to come to Nashville in January 2024, was postponed due to singer Steven Tyler's vocal cord damage.

The band will now hit the stage at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Sunday, Oct. 20.

Rock legends Aerosmith—comprised of Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford—are known for hits "Dream On," "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" and "Walk This Way."

The band has released 15 studio albums, with their most recent released in 2012, "Music From Another Dimension!"

Aerosmith has announced that The Black Crowes, comprised of brothers Chris and Rich Robinson , will accompany them on tour. The Black Crowes released their first album in 15 years, "Happiness Bastards," on March 14.

Why did Aerosmith postpone their final tour?

Aerosmith first announced that they would be embarking on their final tour via video in May 2023. The tour began on Sept. 3 in Philadelphia.

The band, though, was forced to cancel remaining tour dates after frontman Steven Tyler suffered an injury at their performance on Sept. 9 in at the UBS Arena in New York.

Tyler suffered a vocal injury that included a fractured larynx and vocal cord damage.

In a Sept. 29 statement on Facebook , the band promised to honor tickets for new dates. “I am heartbroken to not be out there with Aerosmith, my brothers and the incredible Black Crowes, rocking with the best fans in the world,” Tyler said.

“I promise we will be back as soon as we can!”

Now, the rescheduled farewell tour will start back up on Sept. 20 in Pennsylvania, celebrating Aerosmith's hits from over 50 years together as a band.

All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the rescheduled shows. Ticket-holders will receive more information via email.

Tickets for the newly announced shows, both rescheduled and added performances, will go on sale on Friday, April 12 at 10 a.m. CST at  ticketmaster.com .