Building Memories (BM) uses personal experiences to explore topics of importance to building.
This BM reflects on the music scene and continued growth of Nashville, Tennessee.
In the fall of 2016, my wife and I took another short trip to Nashville, a city that has become one of our favorite destinations for a quick R&R getaway filled with music, food, and entertainment.
We always spend a lot of time on Music Row, also known as Honky Tonk Highway, along 16th and 17th Avenues South. Much like 6th Street in Austin, Texas, this area features several blocks of bars, restaurants, music stages, and honky tonks that combine all three—offering live music virtually 24/7.
On this trip, we visited the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, which featured fascinating exhibits with memorabilia, instruments, and historical stories from many country music legends. I was surprised to discover an exhibit on Bob Dylan, highlighting his deep connection to Nashville, its musicians, and even Johnny Cash. It was especially interesting to see some of Dylan’s original song lyric drafts.
We were lucky to catch a street concert on Music Row, where Brad Paisley performed a short set. The next day, we attended the Grand Ole Opry, where he was the headliner.
Nashville has been growing rapidly for years. From our visits, it seems the city has managed this growth better than some other popular music towns, like Austin, Texas. While infrastructure is certainly strained, it has generally been able to support the city’s expansion.
Like all growing—or aging—cities, Nashville will eventually need to invest heavily in its transportation, water, sewer, stormwater, energy, and other critical infrastructure to sustain its day-to-day operations and quality of life. From a building and planning perspective, watching how a city balances vibrant growth with functional infrastructure is always a key signal to the city’s future success.
Photo 1 – A Still in Nashville
Photo 2 – Concert in Nashville
Photo 3 – Nashville’s Organic Architecture
Photo 4 – Nashville Cabin
Photo 5 – Outhouse Schematics
Photo 6 – Elvis & Lisa
Photo 7 – Concert in Nashville