Centennial Park

Centennial Park is a 132-acre public park situated in the Midtown neighborhood of Nashville, Tennessee, at the corner of West End Avenue and 25th Avenue North. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Centennial Park is one of America's official cultural resources worthy of preservation. Born from the legacy of the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition of 1897, the park formally opened to the public in 1903 and has served as Nashville's principal urban green space ever since. Over 3 million people visit each year to enjoy the beauty of the park, engage in healthy outdoor activities, and see the Parthenon. Its centerpiece, a full-scale replica of the ancient Greek Parthenon, stands as one of the most distinctive architectural landmarks in the American South and anchors a park that encompasses walking trails, a lake, sunken gardens, performing arts venues, and a rich layering of history stretching back more than two centuries.

Early History and Land Ownership

The land now occupied by Centennial Park has a long and complicated history predating the park itself by generations. It previously had been a farm purchased in 1783 by John Cockrill, the brother-in-law to James Robertson, then became the state fairgrounds after the Civil War, and from 1884 to 1895 became a racetrack known as West Side Park.

Some of the land was part of the Burlington plantation established by Joseph T. Elliston, who served as the fourth mayor of Nashville from 1814 to 1817. It was later owned by his son, William R. Elliston, a Whig politician. The Ellistons were slaveholders, and their plantation extended into what are now part of the campus of Vanderbilt University and West End Park. Their mansion, on modern-day Elliston Place, was torn down in the 1930s.

The spring located on the property carried particular significance. The spring was daylighted in 2017 as part of the first phase of Centennial Park Revitalization improvements and currently serves as a sustainable water source for the park. Historically, it was a popular watering stop for travelers along the Natchez Trace dating back to the mid-eighteenth century. In 2012, workers found the source of the spring that was a major feature during Anne Robertson Johnson Cockrill's ownership of the land. For 100 years, it had been capped and piped to the sewer, with a flow of more than 100 gallons of water per minute. What is now called Cockrill Springs is a new natural feature of the park.

The Tennessee Centennial Exposition of 1897

The transformation of the site from a racetrack into the park Nashvillians know today began with a grand civic undertaking. The Tennessee Centennial Exposition, commemorating 100 years of statehood, was held in Nashville in 1897. The Exposition incorporated 20 temporary buildings on a 200-acre site. Previously a racetrack, the property began to take the form of the park familiar today. The Exposition ran from May 1 to October 31, 1897, and was visited by 1.8 million people.

Following the lead of Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the planners of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition chose a neo-classical style for the buildings. When Nashville offered to build the art pavilion for the fair, the natural choice for the Athens of the South was a replica of the Parthenon. Construction of the buildings for the 1897 Centennial began in 1895 with the laying of the cornerstone for the Parthenon replica on October 8, and a large number of elaborate structures were built to serve the 1.8 million visitors to the Exposition.

When the Exposition closed on October 30, 1897, its leadership called for preservation of the Parthenon replica and the Centennial grounds as a public park, initiating the city park movement in Nashville. Like a world's fair, all the exhibit buildings were temporary and made of inexpensive materials. Following the exposition, the majority of the Centennial buildings were moved or destroyed. However, the Parthenon remained the centerpiece of the empty fairgrounds.

As the result of a litigation settlement with city government, Percy Warner and the Nashville Railway and Light Company purchased the first 72 acres of Centennial Park for $125,000 and gave it to the Park Board on December 22, 1902. The Park Board built a swimming pool, stocked Lake Watauga with fish, planted flower gardens and shrubs, built drives and walkways, and opened the park to the public in 1903, scheduling Gilbert and Sullivan operettas for cultural recreation purposes and also providing art exhibits in the Parthenon. During 1903, the monuments paying tribute to James Robertson and to the leaders of the 1897 Centennial Exposition were erected in the park, becoming the first of many monuments and memorials placed throughout the park.

The Parthenon

The Parthenon stands as the undisputed centerpiece of Centennial Park and one of Nashville's most recognizable landmarks. The building is the only full-scale replica of the Athenian original and includes an art museum and a 42-foot statue of Athena. The original Parthenon structure built for the 1897 Exposition was constructed largely of plaster and wood. The Parthenon replica of 1897 was reconstructed of concrete from 1921 to 1931 and received a minor renovation in 1962.

Inside the reconstructed building stands the towering statue of Athena Parthenos. Created by Nashville native Alan LeQuire, this towering 42-foot-tall intricately adorned sculpture holds the distinction of being the tallest indoor sculpture in the Western Hemisphere. The original statue, unveiled in 1990 after eight years of dedicated work, was initially a plain white figure. Twelve years later, it was enhanced with shimmering gold leaf and other ornamentation, bringing it closer in appearance to the ancient original. To provide a sense of scale, the majestic female figure holds a life-size statue of Nike in her upturned right palm. The sculpture also incorporates other figures from Greek mythology, including Zeus, Apollo, Poseidon, and the formidable Medusa with her serpent-entwined hair.

The Parthenon also serves as Nashville's art museum, with a permanent collection of 63 paintings by 19th- and 20th-century American artists. Additional gallery space hosts rotating exhibits and temporary shows.

Civil Rights History

Centennial Park's history includes a painful chapter of racial exclusion and conflict that mirrored the broader struggle for civil rights in Nashville and across the South. Consistent with Jim Crow laws, African Americans were prohibited from using Centennial Park, as they had been excluded from its previous manifestations as parks. Uncomfortable truths exist in the history of Centennial Park, including the inequitable segregation that prevented Nashville's Black community from accessing this public land for decades.

On July 18, 1961, six African Americans were turned away when they tried to use the public swimming pool in the park. The next day, all Nashville public pools were closed under the pretext of "financial reasons". It was not until after passage in 1964 of a national civil rights law ending discrimination that African Americans were allowed to use the park.

In 1909, the Confederate Private Monument, designed by George Julian Zolnay, was dedicated in the park. The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) had helped raise money to commission the monument.

The Centennial Park swimming pool, built in 1932, was reconstructed as the Centennial Art Center in 1972, with the site of the pool becoming a sculpture garden. Transformed from a swimming center to an art center in 1971, the Centennial Art Center provides art and cultural experiences for people of all ages. Free and open to the public, the welcoming facility teaches visual arts classes and hosts an art gallery with six gallery shows annually.

Features and Amenities

Nashville's central park features the iconic Parthenon, a one-mile walking trail, Lake Watauga, the Centennial Art Center, historical monuments, Musicians Corner, an arts activity center, a beautiful sunken garden, a band shell, an events shelter, sand volleyball courts, a dog park, and an exercise trail. Centennial Park is owned by the city of Nashville and managed by Metro Parks and Recreation Department. Centennial Park Conservancy serves as the nonprofit support group of the park and Parthenon in a public-private partnership with Metro Parks.

Lake Watauga is one of the park's most beloved features. Created as part of the 1897 Exposition landscape, the lake is an artificial body of water that today serves as a tranquil gathering point at the heart of the park.

The Bandshell has a long musical heritage. The Centennial Park Bandshell was originally built in 1928 and later rebuilt in 1963. The location has hosted a variety of concerts and artists throughout the years and the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. Nashville native Kay George Roberts became one of the first African American women to conduct a professional symphony in the U.S. when she guest conducted the Nashville Symphony at the Bandshell on May 30, 1976. Other notable performances include: Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, Jimmy Buffett, Pat Boone, Roy Acuff, and Flatt and Scruggs.

The Sunken Gardens have evolved considerably over the decades. The Sunken Gardens in 1897 was a pond called Lily Lake and from 1922 to 1949 was a Japanese Water Garden displaying aquatic plants. The bridge between the Sunken Gardens and Lake Watauga was constructed in 1906 and is the first reinforced concrete bridge built in Tennessee.

Visitors also love attending signature events like Musicians Corner, Nashville Earth Day Festival, Celebrate Nashville, Big Band Dances, and Tennessee Craft.

Modern History and Significance

The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries brought both damage and renewal to Centennial Park. The 1998 Nashville tornado outbreak damaged or destroyed most of the park's mature shade trees, a loss that would take generations to replace. A Vanderbilt ROTC cadet died in the park during the storm; he was the only fatality.

On November 11, 2005, Centennial Park became Nashville's first wireless internet park by offering free Wi-Fi internet access to park patrons.

Centennial Park also served as the memorable backdrop for the final scene of Robert Altman's critically acclaimed film Nashville, further cementing its place in the city's artistic landscape.

Nashville Sites, an organization committed to telling the story of Music City, has placed QR codes around the park for people to scan for a self-guided audio tour. According to Nashville Sites, the QR codes around the park equal 12 stops full of information that can be listened to in sequence or at random, depending on people's preference.

The park's management and stewardship have been bolstered in recent decades through a public-private partnership. The Centennial Park Conservancy's mission is to sustain the park's vibrancy by supporting its revitalization and activation, and to ensure it remains a welcoming destination for recreation, culture, education, and community connection for all.