The Parthenon - Nashville, Tennessee - Permanent World Fair and Expo Structures on Waymarking.com

The Parthenon replica built with its temporary materials lasted for 23 years. In 1920 because of the popularity of the structure, the city of Nashville over the next 11 years replaced the plaster, wood and brick building using permanent materials and that version still stands today.

After more than 20 years had passed, the Centennial Parthenon was in such a state of disrepair that it was condemned as unsafe, and a decision had to be made about its fate. By this time Nashvillians had fallen in love with their tangible symbol of “The Athens of the South” in Centennial Park, and protested its possible demolition. So in 1920, the Nashville Board of Park Commissioners decided to have the cherished building reconstructed of permanent materials, and hired Russell Eason Hart to direct the reconstruction.

Hart went to Athens, Greece, to study the original building. His research led him to the 1674 sketches of French artist Jacques Carrey and the drawings of Col. W. C. Smith, the architect of the Tennessee Centennial Parthenon. The king of Greece, along with pictures of the Elgin Marbles, sent information about the original temple in Athens to him. Hart was meticulous in searching out the exact details. He examined several texts on the Greek Parthenon and learned all he could from noted consulting architect and archaeologist William Bell Dinsmoor, who had spent a great deal of time in Greece studying the ruins. Hart later hired Dinsmoor to help design the interior of the building.

The exterior of the reconstructed Nashville Parthenon was completed in 1925 and the interior in 1931, at which time the building was opened to the public.

At Nashiville, the replica of the Parthenon is an important part of this city’s history and culture.

Original Name of Structure (during fair): Fine Arts Building Current Name of Structure: The Parthenon Architect/Designer: Russell Eason Hart Fair Name: Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition Location: Nashville, TN, USA Year of Fair: 1897 Theme of Fair: Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition Website Proof: [Web Link] Website Reference: [Web Link]

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