Historic Sites - Parthenon
14 Parthenon
- Nashville's Parthenon, center of the Tennessee Centennial in 1897, reconstructed in 1929.
Nashville’s Parthenon is the only full-sized reproduction of the original Parthenon, a temple built by the Greeks in Athens during the 5th century B.C. It houses the tallest indoor sculpture in the western world, a statue of Athena, ancient goddess of wisdom and learning, the deity for whom the original Parthenon was erected. Originally built for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897, the building became unsafe and was rebuilt in 1929. It is an exact replica of the Greek temple, its architecture including not a single straight line; no two columns are the same size, nor are they placed the same distance apart. No two steps are the same size and the floor is not square or level. A proud symbol of Tennessee’s Capitol city, the "Athens of the South," the Parthenon houses the city’s permanent art collection, plaster casts of the Elgin Marbles, a gift shop, and visitors center.
Parthenon Web Site
Centennial Park, West End Avenue,
Nashville, TN 37201
(615) 862-8431
