Discover The Parthenon Nashville: Tennessee’s Crown Jewel of Architecture
Nestled in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, the Parthenon stands as the world’s only exact-size and detailed replica of the original temple in Athens, Greece. Built in 1897 as the Fine Art Building for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, it celebrated the state’s 100th year of statehood and embraced Nashville’s nickname, “Athens of the South.” Though initially constructed as a temporary structure with a plaster exterior coating and decorative work, the Parthenon crystallized Nashvillians’ image of their city. When the exposition ended, the city loathed to tear it down, and repeated patching kept destruction at bay for years. By the 1920s, deterioration forced a permanent solution: rebuilding it with lasting materials. Local architect Russell Hart, alongside architectural historian William Bell Dinsmoor,