The Parthenon in Nashville

   The City of Nashville first undertook the construction of a full-scale replica of the Parthenon to house the art exhibition for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Cities, industries and other interest groups built pavilions for the celebration. Nashville's pavilion was constructed of brick, wood and plaster and was intended to reflect the city's reputation as the "Athens of the South."
   The celebration lasted from May to October of 1897, just six months. Once the exposition was over, all of the buildings were moved or disassembled except for the Parthenon. Due to popular demand, the city left the temporary structure standing which was replaced by a permanent structure finished in 1931. Today, the Parthenon is the centerpiece of Centennial Park, a city park named for this memorable celebration.
   By as early as the 1950's, it had become apparent that cosmetic repairs would soon be necessary for the building's decorative concrete forms and areas most exposed to the weather. However, the need for restoration was not fully addressed until only a few years ago. Fencing and scaffolding were erected around the Parthenon in 1991. This signaled the beginning of the restoration process which will ultimately take at least ten years and over 12 million dollars to complete.

Facade E far 437 X 286 24 KB	Facade E 361 X 257 17 KB	Entrance E 443 X 297 27 KB
Parthenon caption 429 X 297 35 KB	Athena caption 273 X 435 24 KB	Facade E close 445 X 298 19 KB
Full E 445 X 296 23 KB	Right E 445 X 297 21 KB	Center-right E 445 X 298 24 KB
Center E 445 X 297 27 KB	Center-left E 445 X 298 25 KB	Left E 445 X 297 20 KB
Facade SE far 444 X 296 24 KB	Facade SE 444 X 296 25 KB	Corner SE 445 X 298 25 KB

  Tourist Information:

   Centennial Park, City of Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Hours: Closed on Monday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Tuesday through Saturday, 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Sunday. Sunday hours apply April through September Only.

  Links:

Athena Nashville Temple: Nashville Gallery 2012.

Athena Museum Sculptures: East Pediment of the Parthenon (432 BCE), West Pediment of the Parthenon (432 BCE), Reconstruction of the Parthenos.

Perseus Project Building Catalog: Athens, Parthenon.

The Parthenon in Nashville

Athena is now clothed in gold, 10 years after completion of the sculpture, the Nashville Athena has finally been finished as it was meant to be. They used 23.75 carat Italian gold leaf, and estimate 90,000 leaves. See more at The Athena Project - Summer 2002