Stunning Historical Photos Show Nashville in the 1960s Like You’ve Never Seen Before

Nashville in the 1960s was a city in transformation. Student activists launched sit-in campaigns to desegregate lunch counters, the city and Davidson County merged into a single metropolitan government, and Nashville rose to become the second-largest music production center in the country. The photos below capture everyday life, landmark events, and the people who shaped the city during one of its most defining decades.

Grand Ole Opry cast on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The sign in the back reads “WSM Home of Grand Ole Opry.” A sign advertising the National Life and Accident Insurance Company also hangs behind the stage.

Exterior photograph of the Washington Manufacturing Company brick building at the corner of Second Avenue and Commerce Street. A sign attached to the building says “Home of Washington ‘Dee Cee’ Sportswear.” Cars and people are in front of the entrance.

War Memorial Building and Memorial Plaza; National Life & Accident Insurance Company.

View of the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Broadway, showing the Silver Dollar Saloon building with the Phillips & Quarles Hardware Store in the Watkins Block building in the background. The Phillips & Quarles building has a man holding a paintbrush and can painted on the building’s side. A parking lot is located behind the Silver Dollar Saloon. Signs on the Silver Dollar Saloon advertise the beverages they serve. The intersection has a traffic light and a traffic sign.

Hermitage Hotel, YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) Building, War Memorial Building.

Carriage driven by Ruffin Baker carrying President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, arriving at the Hermitage among a crowd.

WSM Grand Ole Opry performance on stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. A sign reading “A service of National Life and Accident Insurance” is in the background on a barn stage prop.

State Capitol roof and cupola (foreground); (clockwise) Andrew Jackson Hotel, Hermitage Hotel, YMCA Building, War Memorial Building.

Buses carrying the White House Press Corps during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s visit to Nashville. Several Press Corps buses were in an accident on Thompson Lane during the President’s visit.

Exterior view of N. Hirsch & Co. and Trade Palace on Market Street, with people standing in front of the building and in the windows. Signs on the building advertise dry goods, clothing, boots, shoes, hats, carpets, and oilcloths. The building has the words “wholesale and retail dry goods & clothing” painted on the brick. The merchandise on the sidewalk includes trunks, shoes, and suits. The two-story brick buildings for the businesses have crow-stepped gables. N. Hirsch & Co.’s second-floor windows have rectangular lintels, while the Trade Palace windows have decorative lintels.

This photograph by Nashville Banner photographer Bill Goodman is hand-titled “Fire engine riders” and depicts a scene in front of the Fannie Battle Day Home located at 911 Shelby Avenue in East Nashville. The horse-drawn fire wagon has a driver and a young boy seated on his left, with a young man behind the wagon as they progress in front of the children and staff of the Day Home. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility was held on November 12, 1958. The one-story structure was designed by the Rodgers and Rodgers architectural firm.

One of the three buildings pictured in the background is the Municipal Auditorium. The Davidson County Courthouse, also known as Metropolitan Courthouse, is an Art Deco building built in 1936. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

The Davidson County Courthouse, also known as Metropolitan Courthouse, is an Art Deco building built in 1936. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It was designed by Nashville architect Emmons H. Woolwine and the firm of Dennison and Hirons of New York.

The companies listed are: WENO Radio 1430; Cozy Living Mobile Homes; and McCord Crane Service. The fairgrounds, located approximately one mile south of downtown Nashville, opened in 1891 as Cumberland Park. The park was built as a harness racing track with a grandstand that seated 7,000 people. In 1904 the harness racing track hosted its first automobile race. In 1906 the first Tennessee State Fair was held. Over the years, the fairgrounds have hosted nighttime airplane rides, a swimming pool, an amusement park, and stock car races, among other things. In 1965 a fire at the fairgrounds destroyed several buildings, the grandstands, and numerous restaurants. Today the fairgrounds are used for various conferences, expos, and trade shows, along with the annual Tennessee State Fair.

The circular pattern on the right is the early construction site of the Municipal Auditorium on Fifth Avenue. Some of the other buildings along 5th and 6th Avenues and Charlotte Avenue are pictured, as well as some of War Memorial Plaza.

They are cited in the 1965 City Directory, with Bob W. Armstrong and James P. Gracy, located at 1038 W. Kirkland Avenue. The directory refers to a service for “office parties, sales meetings, company picnics and buffets.” Some of the trucks advertise they are a coffee-break service providing coffee, donuts, and sandwiches.

The fairgrounds, located approximately one mile south of downtown Nashville, opened in 1891 as Cumberland Park. The park was built as a harness racing track with a grandstand that seated 7,000 people. In 1904 the harness racing track hosted its first automobile race. In 1906 the first Tennessee State Fair was held. Over the years, the fairgrounds have been host to nighttime airplane rides, a swimming pool, an amusement park, and stock car races, among other things. In 1965 a fire at the fairgrounds destroyed several buildings, the grandstands, and numerous restaurants. Today the fairgrounds are used for various conferences, expos, and trade shows, along with the annual Tennessee State Fair.

The signage reads “Nashville’s Gateway to the Jet Age, Athens of the South.” American and Eastern airlines were the first air carriers to serve Nashville. Nashville’s airport officially opened in 1937 as Berry Field, in honor of Colonel Harry S. Berry, the state administrator of the Works Progress Administration, or WPA. Berry Field became the military base for the 4th Ferrying Command during World War II and was returned to the city when the war ended. The airport’s name was officially changed to Nashville International Airport in 1988, but the original three-letter code BNA, which stands for Berry Field Nashville, remains.

The fairgrounds, located approximately one mile south of downtown Nashville, opened in 1891 as Cumberland Park. The park was built as a harness racing track with a grandstand that seated 7,000 people. In 1904 the harness racing track hosted its first automobile race. In 1906 the first Tennessee State Fair was held. Over the years, the fairgrounds have been host to nighttime airplane rides, a swimming pool, an amusement park, and stock car races, among other things. In 1965 a fire at the fairgrounds destroyed several buildings, the grandstands, and numerous restaurants. Today the fairgrounds are used for various conferences, expos, and trade shows, along with the annual Tennessee State Fair.

This covered shopping arcade, located between Fourth and Fifth Avenues N in downtown Nashville, was built in 1903 and was modeled after the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II arcade in Milan, Italy. The City Beautiful Award ribbon was awarded on April 3rd, 1962 by the City Beautiful Commission of Nashville. Several of the businesses pictured in the photos include Barrick Jewelers, Jacobs Jewelers, Hollywood Photos, Cato’s Malt Shop, Myers Camera Shop, the Post Office, Karl’s Famous Name Shoes, Arcade Hose, White’s Greeting Cards, Childs Toggery, and Strobel’s Music Shop. Included is a photo of Mrs. Ellen Stokes Wemyss with others at the Arcade, and another group at the Curtis Casualty Insurance Office.

A photograph of Avon N. Williams, Jr., being congratulated by his wife, Marie Bontemps, and supporters after his successful bid to become the first African American senator in Tennessee since Reconstruction. He ran for state senator from the 19th District in Nashville. Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Avon N. Williams, Jr., was one of the leading African American lawyers in Tennessee. After practicing law in Knoxville, he became law partners with prominent Nashville attorney Z. Alexander Looby. His role as attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund sparked a long history of involvement with the civil rights movement. His role with Geier v. Blanton helped to bring about the merger of the University of Tennessee and Tennessee State University. The former Nashville campus of UT Nashville was later named the Avon Williams Jr. Campus of Tennessee State University. He also co-sponsored the law requiring public schools to teach African American history. He was a member of the Tennessee state senate from 1968 to 1990.

Mayor Ben West is present for the event, as well as many traffic “patrol mothers” and two traffic police officials. The 1963 City Directory cites the name Neblo O. Bailey associated with this store. The sign advertisements include Coca-Cola, Velvet Ice Cream, and Abbott “bonded termite & pest control.”

A view of the Baptist Book Store located at 1010 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, November 1968.

A landscape and construction view of Bordeaux Garden Park, at Snell Road near County Hospital in Davidson County, Tennessee. At the request of the people of Bordeaux, represented by Councilmen Arch Carney and James Bates, the County Hospital leased the land to the Park Board in 1964. Funding from a 1964 bond issue was used to construct a playground and ball diamond in the park.

A landscape and construction view of Bordeaux Garden Park, at Snell Road near County Hospital in Davidson County, Tennessee. At the request of the people of Bordeaux, represented by Councilmen Arch Carney and James Bates, the County Hospital leased the land to the Park Board in 1964. Funding from a 1964 bond issue was used to construct a playground and ball diamond in the park.

This successful business was located in East Nashville at 501 Woodland Street, a manufacturer and seller of paints and coatings throughout the mid-South. The 1969 City Directory cites James E. Bates as President.

The historical post office was constructed from 1933 to 1934 under the direction of the local architectural firm of Marr & Holman. The building was financed by monies appropriated by Congress during the Hoover administration. Following guidelines from the Office of the Supervising Architect for such public buildings, Nashville’s post office displays both of the most distinctive architectural styles of the period: classicism and Art Deco. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Sites in 1984. It served as the main U.S. Post Office for Nashville until 1986, when a new central processing facility opened in Donelson. It continued to serve as a downtown branch of the post office after that time. The building was transferred to the city of Nashville in 1998 in preparation for its use as the home of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.

Several persons on that trip were wearing buttons that read: “Litton Rand Official.” Capitol Airways was founded in 1946 and ended operations in 1982. The airline was also known as Capitol International Airways.

The Nashville Park Commission acquired the initial land, approximately 151 acres, for the park in 1909. The official opening was on July 4, 1912. Shelby Park is operated by the Metropolitan Nashville Department of Parks and Recreation.

This structure, located at 800 2nd Avenue S, was renovated by Metro government as an office building. The original project was to establish a teaching hospital to be called Galloway Memorial Hospital, a joint venture between Vanderbilt and the Methodist Episcopal Church. The new hospital construction began at Vanderbilt’s south campus starting in 1916, at the southwest corner of the old University of Nashville in the “College Hill” area. However, this structure was only partially completed, as work on the new Vanderbilt hospital complex was instead established on the West End campus. The partially completed Galloway Hospital building in south Nashville stood vacant until purchased by the city for office space in the 1930s.

The construction was finished and the structure was used as a local government office building. The area immediately around the campus became zoned for light industrial use or became part of I-265 through South Nashville. During the 1980s some of the neighborhood was converted back to residential use. The hill is known as “Rutledge Hill” or “Rolling Mill Hill.”

A view of the Coggin Chevrolet showroom and the parts and service building. This car dealership of new and used cars and trucks was located at Woodland Street at 2nd.

The 1963 City Directory cites the “Imperial House Leasing,” with Charles F. Reeves, Leasing Agent. The sign in the photo names the leasing agent, as well as Swenson & Kott, Architects, and the Southern Builders, Inc. of Tennessee.

This original facility would include educational programs, the CMF Press and CMF Records, the Country Music Foundation Library (1968), and the historic sites RCA Studio B (1977) and Hatch Show Print (1986). The Music Row location was closed December 31, 2000. The building was later razed and a private parking lot for employees of music licensing firm BMI occupied the site. The entity moved to a new location at 222 Fifth Avenue S in downtown Nashville.

The Sam Lapidus Clothing Company and the Southern Coat & Dress Company are pictured in the background on the east side of the Public Square. The Davidson County Courthouse, also known as Metropolitan Courthouse, is an Art Deco building built in 1936. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. It was designed by Nashville architect Emmons H. Woolwine and the firm of Dennison and Hirons of New York.

The Andrew Jackson equestrian statue and east side of the Capitol Building are in view. The State Capitol was constructed between 1845 and 1859. It was designed in Greek Revival style by architect William Strickland (1788–1854). Strickland died before construction was completed and was interred in the walls of the north portico. His son, Francis W. Strickland, oversaw the completion of the project. The cupola was modeled on a Greek monument to Lysicrates and designed to be illuminated at night like a lantern. The building was constructed of Tennessee limestone and underwent major restoration from 1956 to 1960. During the restoration, much of the limestone, including most in the cupola and the Ionic columns and capitals, was replaced with Indiana limestone. The grounds contain monuments to famous people and events in Tennessee history. The Capitol was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

Many youngsters participated in this event. Many eggs were hidden for the children to find, along with refreshments and Easter baskets at the recreation building. The Mayor of the City of Nashville, Mayor Ben West, is pictured at the event, along with several parents, teachers, and City of Nashville Police Officers. The 1963 City Directory cites the address of West Park at 6001 Morrow Road, with a nearby Recreation Building.

Many youngsters participated in this event. Many eggs were hidden for the children to find, along with refreshments and Easter baskets at the recreation building. The Mayor of the City of Nashville, Mayor Ben West, is pictured at the event, along with several parents, teachers, and City of Nashville Police Officers. The 1963 City Directory cites the address of West Park at 6001 Morrow Road, with a nearby Recreation Building.

Sevier Park was purchased by the Park Board in 1945 from the estate of Colonel Granville Sevier, a retired Army officer and descendant of a brother to the first Governor of Tennessee. Sunnyside Mansion in the park was the home before the Civil War of Mrs. Jesse Benton, whose husband was the brother of Thomas H. Benton. The park was dedicated by Mayor Thomas Cummings on June 7, 1948.

Sevier Park was purchased by the Park Board in 1945 from the estate of Colonel Granville Sevier, a retired Army officer and descendant of a brother to the first Governor of Tennessee.

A scene in front of the Fannie Battle Day Home located at 911 Shelby Avenue in East Nashville. The horse-drawn fire wagon has a driver and a young boy seated on his left, with a young man behind the wagon as they progress in front of the children and staff of the Day Home. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility was held on November 12, 1958. The one-story structure was designed by the Rodgers and Rodgers architectural firm.

Ross Hotel (pictured on the left in the background) is located at 140 4th Avenue North. The Ambrose Printing Company (162–66 4th Avenue N) and the Third National Bank Building (170 4th Avenue N) are pictured in the foreground.

Genesco was originally founded as the Jarman Shoe Company in 1924 as a footwear manufacturer. They were later renamed the General Shoe Company in the 1930s. Johnston & Murphy was purchased in 1951 and operations were moved to Nashville.

The company took its current name, Genesco, in 1959. Under the leadership of W. Maxey Jarman, the son of co-founder J.F. Jarman, the company began the process of diversifying and expanding the business into an international apparel conglomerate.

A scene from the Genesco Industrial Park (1415 Murfreesboro Road) ribbon cutting ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee on August 5th, 1962.

A view of the Goodyear Blimp airship at the Nashville Airport, October 10th, 1961. Since 1925, Goodyear blimps have flown the skies as highly visible corporate icons, representing one of the largest tire and rubber companies in the world.

The city formed its first volunteer fire fighting unit circa May of 1807. The Nashville Fire Department was organized as a paid department on July 24, 1860, with John S. Dashiell as its first chief. The first horse-drawn steam fire engine was called the “Hamilton,” named after Mr. J. M. Hamilton, who was a prominent hardware man of the time. Two other horse-drawn engines, the “Eclipse” and the “Deluge,” were also in service. In 1861, a hook and ladder company was added to Nashville’s growing fire department. Nashville put its first motorized fire engine in service in 1912.

Briley served as the first mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. His inauguration took place on the same day that the consolidation of the city and county governments took effect. In this photo, Briley (right) is being sworn into office by Pride Tomlinson, Justice of the Supreme Court of Tennessee. Mayor Briley served from 1963 to 1975. He was born in Nashville in 1914.

One of the oldest steeplechases in the country, the Iroquois Steeplechase race was inaugurated in 1941 and has been held annually, except in 1945 due to World War II. It is named for Iroquois, the first American-bred thoroughbred to win the prestigious British Epsom Derby. The race is three miles long and includes a signature parade of foxhounds.

A 1947 graduate of Cumberland Law School, he began his career working as an insurance agency attorney. In 1953 he was elected to the 78th General Assembly and served a two-year term as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. In 1958, Cornelius was elected Davidson County General Sessions Judge and served in this capacity until 1968, when he became the first to preside over the Division III Criminal Court. He was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1978, where he served until his retirement in 1986.

The hotel, which stood at the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue North and Church Street in downtown Nashville, was a prominent hotel at which several U.S. Presidents and other dignitaries stayed, and for years was the center of Nashville’s social and political life. It was built by Colonel John Overton Jr. and named for his wife, Harriet Maxwell Overton. The architect was Isaiah Rogers. The Maxwell House Hotel was destroyed by fire on Christmas night 1961.

The Maxwell House Hotel during the razing phase of the structure.

The Nashville Children’s Theatre was formed by the Junior League of Nashville as an amateur theatre in 1931. At that time, the Junior League was fulfilling a commitment to establish children’s theatre in many U.S. cities. For years, NCT performed in numerous local landmarks, including Belcourt Theatre and at Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities. In the late 1950s, Ann Stahlman Hill undertook the task of creating a permanent home for NCT with many other civic-minded individuals. With her leadership they petitioned legislatures and engaged in fundraising. Nashville Children’s Theatre opened in 1960 at a facility next to the Howard School building and Lindsley Hall.

The structure that exists today is not the original settlement, but rather a reconstruction. The historic marker reads: “The original stockade fronted on the river slightly north of here, covering an area of about two acres. In that enclosure, on May 13, 1780, representatives of this and other settlements met and adopted the Cumberland Compact for the government of the new settlement. About 500 yards west, April 2, 1781, settlers, assisted by dogs, drove off the Indians in the Battle of the Bluffs.”

Fort Nashborough was the stockade established in early 1779 in the French Lick area of the Cumberland River valley as a forerunner to the settlement that would become the city of Nashville, Tennessee. The structure that exists today is not the original settlement, but rather a reconstruction. The historic marker reads: “The original stockade fronted on the river slightly north of here, covering an area of about two acres. In that enclosure, on May 13, 1780, representatives of this and other settlements met and adopted the Cumberland Compact for the government of the new settlement. About 500 yards west, April 2, 1781, settlers, assisted by dogs, drove off the Indians in the Battle of the Bluffs.” Mayor West (Raphael Ben West), born in Columbia, Tennessee, was Nashville’s 62nd mayor, in office from 1951 to 1963.

Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1938 and was a leading figure for nearly four decades. Acuff co-founded the first major Nashville-based country music publishing company with Fred Rose: Acuff-Rose Music, which signed such acts as Hank Williams, Roy Orbison, and The Everly Brothers. In 1962, Acuff became the first living inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The 1969 Nashville Suburban Directory cites the address at 2510 Franklin Road.

A view of the new terminal interior space of the Nashville Airport, October 4th, 1961.

A photograph of an aerial view of the Nashville Bridge Company with the Shelby Street Bridge and downtown Nashville, Tennessee, in the background. The company was started in 1902 by Arthur J. Dyer, who graduated from Vanderbilt with a degree in engineering in 1891. The company fabricated steel for several Nashville landmarks in the early 1900s, including the Arcade, the Nashville Trust Building, and the Hermitage Hotel. Over the World War years they built tankers, barges, towboats, and steamers, and during World War II, minesweepers. In the late 1940s they met the demand for bridge construction, and later barges, towboats, and bridge overpasses. In 1960 they fabricated steel for the NASA service tower of the Saturn missiles. Mr. Dyer sold the company in 1968.

The Coggin Chevrolet showroom on Woodland Street is now occupied by “The Trap” restaurant and nightclub. The adjacent four-story building, since demolished, housed the National Casket Company, which started business in Nashville in 1899.

The Holiday Inn on James Robertson Parkway at 8th Avenue North opened in January of 1960. The one-million-dollar, one-hundred-unit hotel was north of the Tennessee State Capitol building.

One Hundred Oaks Shopping Center, Nashville’s first enclosed mall, was under construction when this sign advertised space for lease.

Nashville firefighters check billboards announcing Fire Prevention Week atop the Patent Button Company, on the north side of the Nashville Public Square. The adjacent building at the corner of the public square and 2nd Avenue North is home to the Courthouse Grill.

Spot Tavern and Cartwright’s Diner were located at 111 and 115 8th Avenue North near Broad Street.

Improvements included a new terminal building with a modern control tower and Jet Age runways. Nashville’s airport officially opened in 1937 as Berry Field, in honor of Colonel Harry S. Berry, the state administrator of the Works Progress Administration, or WPA. Berry Field became the military base for the 4th Ferrying Command during World War II and was returned to the city when the war ended. The airport’s name was officially changed to Nashville International Airport in 1988, but the original three-letter code BNA, which stands for Berry Field Nashville, remains.

The construction site, including an aerial view, of the Nashville Municipal Auditorium, circa February 18th, 1961. This facility, located on Fourth Avenue N in downtown Nashville, opened on October 7th, 1962 and was the first public assembly facility in the Mid-South with air-conditioning. In addition to being a music venue, it has hosted religious conferences and sporting events. The aerial view shows the construction site from above, as well as two Greek Revival style buildings designed by William Strickland: St. Mary’s Catholic Church (Fifth Avenue N, right foreground) and the Tennessee State Capitol Building (bordered by Sixth Avenue and Charlotte).

Located in historic East Nashville, Shelby Golf Course opened in 1924. It has the distinction of being the first municipal golf course in Nashville, Tennessee.

It has the distinction of being the first municipal golf course in Nashville, Tennessee.

Located in historic East Nashville, Shelby Golf Course opened in 1924. It has the distinction of being the first municipal golf course in Nashville, Tennessee.

Participants, in addition to school children and community, included Mayor Ben West, Rev. R. L. Thomas, Miss Iva Simms (Principal), Dick Battle, E. B. Garrett, J. E. Moss, Owen Luallen, and Pamela Arnold. The school, located at 4700 West Longdale Drive, opened in September 1960 with nine classrooms serving approximately 300 children in grades 1–6. During construction the school was called Caldwell Hall and was built to serve part of the Crieve Hall, Elysian Meadows, Caldwell Hall, and Elysian Park subdivisions. The Davidson County Board of Education officially named the school in honor of Norman Binkley, a former state senator who lived in the Woodbine area. Ten rooms were added in 1961 and six rooms in 1963 to accommodate a fast-growing community. School enrollment peaked near the 1,000 mark during the 1965–66 school year.

Union Station is pictured in the background.

Harpeth Hills is widely respected as one of Tennessee’s top public golf facilities. This public golf course is located at 2424 Old Hickory Blvd. in Forest Hills, Tennessee near the Belle Meade area, approximately 12 miles southwest of downtown Nashville.

A scene from the 1965 official opening of Harpeth Hills Golf Course at Percy Warner Park, with Mayor Briley, Metro Parks Officials, media, and interested golfers.

Pictured are, from left to right, Chairman of the Nashville Public Library Board Charles Clay Trabue, Jr., Metro Mayor Beverly Briley, Mrs. Nellie Jackson Estes, and former Mayor Ben West. Mrs. Estes was present at the original groundbreaking of the Carnegie Library of Nashville in 1903, which the new facility replaced. Administered under the new Metropolitan Government, the library was dedicated on January 16, 1966. It was named the Ben West Library on June 5, 1977 in memory of Mayor Ben West. Designed by the architectural firm of Taylor & Crabtree, Inc., this downtown main library served the public from 1963 until 2001.

There was a substantial protest movement against the consolidation of the city and county governments. Some opponents argued that creating a single government entity would be more costly in the long run and would not meet the public service needs of the community.

Leading the march is John R. Lewis and Archie E. Allen. The Freedom March was sponsored by the Projects Committee of the Nashville Christian Leadership Council. According to Reverend Kelly Miller Smith, the “Freedom March was designed to emphasize that the current movement was a people’s movement and not just a leader’s cause.” The marchers started at the campus of Tennessee State A & I, down 8th Avenue North, then into the downtown area. The Freedom March was the largest planned organized protest in Nashville since the 1960s downtown sit-ins.

This photo relates to the 1965 official opening of Harpeth Hills Golf Course at Percy Warner Park. Harpeth Hills is widely respected as one of Tennessee’s top public golf facilities. This public golf course is located at 2424 Old Hickory Blvd. in Forest Hills, Tennessee near the Belle Meade area, approximately 12 miles southwest of downtown Nashville.

The song was performed by Patti Page in the 1962 MGM comedy movie “Boys’ Night Out.” Patti Page, born Clara Ann Fowler, was an American singer and one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music and country. The Capitol Park Inn was located in downtown Nashville at 400 5th Avenue N at Charlotte Avenue.

Construction of the building was completed in 1968. The building height is 261 feet with 21 floors above ground. There is a Commerce Union Bank sign in front of the building. The structure was designed in a modernist style.

Members of the commission appointed by Nashville Mayor Ben West were Carmack Cochran, R. N. Chenault, Alexander Looby, Rebecca Thomas, and Joe Torrence. Members of the commission appointed by Davidson County Judge Beverly Briley were Cecil Branstetter, Harlan Dodson, Edward Hicks, Victor Johnson, and Charlie Warfield.

A crowd of over 3,000 participants marched in silence from the campus of Tennessee A & I University to the office of Mayor Ben West at City Hall to protest the bombing of the home of civil rights attorney Z. Alexander Looby. Upon arriving at the Court House Square, students and leaders confronted Mayor Ben West about his viewpoints on lunch counter segregation. This was the first major step in desegregating public accommodations in Nashville.

The sign stood at the corner of Thompson Lane and Nolensville Road and read: “Metro…growing today to meet tomorrow’s needs.”

A photograph of the groundbreaking ceremonies for the main library in Nashville, Tennessee, located at 8th Avenue North and Union Street, circa December 1963. Pictured are, from left to right, Chairman of the Nashville Public Library Board Charles Clay Trabue, Jr., Metro Mayor Beverly Briley, Mrs. Nellie Jackson Estes, and former Mayor Ben West. Mrs. Estes was present at the original groundbreaking of the Carnegie Library of Nashville in 1903, which the new facility replaced. Administered under the new Metropolitan Government, the library was dedicated on January 16, 1966. It was named the Ben West Library on June 5, 1977 in memory of Mayor Ben West. Designed by the architectural firm of Taylor & Crabtree, Inc., this downtown main library served the public from 1963 until 2001.

Attorney Robert E. Lillard gestures in his defense of the students on trial for their part in the sit-in demonstrations in downtown stores and lunch counters. Pictured left to right (front row): Adolpho A. Birch, Robert E. Lillard, Coyness L. Ennix, Sr., and Avon Williams, Jr. Along with attorney Z. Alexander Looby, these attorneys were the spearheads of the defense for the student demonstrators.

Many city limit signs were initially removed due to the City of Nashville’s annexation of large portions of Davidson County. The remaining signs were removed following the consolidation of the city and county governments.

Leading the march is John R. Lewis and Archie E. Allen. The Freedom March was sponsored by the Projects Committee of the Nashville Christian Leadership Council. According to Reverend Kelly Miller Smith, the “Freedom March was designed to emphasize that the current movement was a people’s movement and not just a leader’s cause.” The marchers started at the campus of Tennessee State A & I, down 8th Avenue North, then into the downtown area.

The Airport Reading Room was established during the tenure of Chief Librarian David Marshall Stewart, with Mrs. Mary Clark as the branch librarian. The facility had been developed alongside the new 145,900-square-foot passenger terminal that opened in 1961, during Mayor Ben West’s term. The reading room officially opened to the public in 1962 and was active until 1969.

The young adults are making use of the educational and entertainment resources, while one couple dances to the sounds of a phonograph. The Young Moderns Den was located in the basement of the library. The public library building was constructed with a $100,000 grant from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and the cornerstone was laid on April 27, 1903. Officially opened to the public on September 19, 1904, the building was located at 8th Avenue North and Union Street. The Carnegie Library of Nashville was renamed the Nashville Public Library in 1934, remaining active at this location until 1963, when the new Metropolitan Government began construction on a new main library upon the site.

It is an Amphibious Transport Dock (LPD) of the Austin class, designed to embark, transport, and land elements of a landing force by sea or air during expeditionary warfare missions. This photograph is believed to have been taken prior to the ship’s commissioning on February 14, 1970. It is the fifth ship to bear the name Nashville.

This photo relates to a special program hosted at Nashville’s Jewish Community Center featuring Nashville Mayor Ben West, circa February 1961. Mayor West presented a talk about his recent trip to visit Kfar Chabad, a Chabad-Lubavitch village located in central Israel. Mayor West traveled to the Chabad circa November 1960.

Looking north toward the City Market House, buildings and businesses located along the east side of the Public Square are shown in this photo.

A newly constructed Nashville Municipal Airport, located at Berry Field, was formally opened November 1, 1961. Described as ultramodern, the terminal cost $4,500,000 and had three main sections to handle inbound and outbound passenger flow separately.

A Nashville Police Officer directs traffic. Along the north side of Broad Street, Hume Fogg High School and the Masonic Building can be seen. The Customs House and First Baptist Church are visible along the south side of the street.

The corner of Deaderick Street and the Public Square was home to Gilbert’s Clothing Store for around fifty years. In 1956, Friedman’s Loan Company moved into the vacated building from their longtime location further up Deaderick Street.

The 3400 block of West End Avenue, where Interstate 440 now runs, was once home to Schwartz’s Deli, West End Diner, Gus Drug Company, and Freed’s Bakery.

The fire destroyed the Woman’s Building and the Grandstands.

They were attending a trial of a suit contesting anti-riot laws following riots in North Nashville. In the black and white photo by Nashville Banner staff photographer Vic Cooley are (from left to right): H. Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael, and George Ware.

Sevier Park, located in the 12th South neighborhood of Nashville, was purchased by the Park Board in 1945 from the estate of Colonel Granville Sevier, a retired Army officer and descendant of a brother to the first Governor of Tennessee. Sunnyside Mansion in the park was the home before the Civil War of Mrs. Jesse Benton, whose husband was the brother of Thomas H. Benton.

A group of educators from India met with Mayor Beverly Briley on July 17th, 1964 in Nashville, Tennessee.

It was designed in Greek Revival style by architect William Strickland (1788–1854). Strickland died before construction was completed and was interred in the walls of the north portico. His son, Francis W. Strickland, oversaw the completion of the project. The cupola was modeled on a Greek monument to Lysicrates and designed to be illuminated at night like a lantern. The building was constructed of Tennessee limestone and underwent major restoration from 1956 to 1960. During the restoration, much of the limestone, including most in the cupola and the Ionic columns and capitals, was replaced with Indiana limestone.

A view of the Tennessee State Capitol, September 8th, 1961, in downtown Nashville. The State Capitol was constructed between 1845 and 1859. It was designed in Greek Revival style by architect William Strickland (1788–1854). Strickland died before construction was completed and was interred in the walls of the north portico. His son, Francis W. Strickland, oversaw the completion of the project. The cupola was modeled on a Greek monument to Lysicrates and designed to be illuminated at night like a lantern. The building was constructed of Tennessee limestone and underwent major restoration from 1956 to 1960. During the restoration, much of the limestone, including most in the cupola and the Ionic columns and capitals, was replaced with Indiana limestone. The grounds contain monuments to famous people and events in Tennessee history, such as the Edward Ward Carmack statue in the foreground.

The Tennessee State Fair, located approximately 2 miles south of downtown Nashville, has been held every year since 1906, with the exception of a four-year span during World War II. A fire in 1965 destroyed a majority of the fairgrounds, and another fire occurred in 1970.

The fairgrounds, located approximately one mile south of downtown Nashville, opened in 1891 as Cumberland Park. The park was built as a harness racing track with a grandstand that seated 7,000 people. In 1904 the harness racing track hosted its first automobile race. In 1906 the first Tennessee State Fair was held. Over the years, the fairgrounds have hosted nighttime airplane rides, a swimming pool, an amusement park, and stock car races, among other things. In 1965 a fire at the fairgrounds destroyed several buildings, the grandstands, and numerous restaurants. Today the fairgrounds are used for various conferences, expos, and trade shows, along with the annual Tennessee State Fair.

A view of a car race at the Fairgrounds Speedway on September 10th, 1961. The fairgrounds, located approximately one mile south of downtown Nashville, opened in 1891 as Cumberland Park. The park was built as a harness racing track with a grandstand that seated 7,000 people. In 1904 the harness racing track hosted its first automobile race.

A group photo of the championship baton twirlers known as the “Firettes,” posing at Metro Nashville Fire Department Engine Company No. 8, circa July 1965. The Firettes won the World Baton Twirling Championship of 1964. Baton twirling is a physically demanding and highly creative sport that combines dance and gymnastic routines set to music, with batons twirling and flying through the air.

The Hermitage is a historical plantation and museum located in Davidson County, Tennessee, about 10 miles east of downtown Nashville. It was owned by Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, from 1804 until his death at the Hermitage in 1845. In 1889, the Hermitage was opened to the public as a museum of both Jackson’s life and the antebellum South in general. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

The Hermitage is a historical plantation and museum located in Davidson County, Tennessee, about 10 miles east of downtown Nashville. It was owned by Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, from 1804 until his death at the Hermitage in 1845. In 1889, the Hermitage was opened to the public as a museum of both Jackson’s life and the antebellum South in general. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

A view (September 14th, 1961) of the Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson. The Hermitage is a historical plantation and museum located in Davidson County, Tennessee, about 10 miles east of downtown Nashville. It was owned by Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States, from 1804 until his death at the Hermitage in 1845. In 1889, the Hermitage was opened to the public as a museum of both Jackson’s life and the antebellum South in general. The property was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

Advertised as “the South’s largest, finest roller rink,” this multi-purpose facility served as a roller skating rink, ballroom, sports arena, and entertainment center from circa 1914 until 1968. It was at the time the largest and most popular indoor arena and entertainment center in town, providing decades of fun and popularity. Tony Sudekum, founder of the Crescent Amusement Company, owned the Hippodrome for most of its history. There were big-band dances in the late 1940s that included such famous acts as Benny Goodman, Xavier Cugat, Harry James, and Sonny Dunham. Earlier, during the Depression years, there were walk-a-thons. Circa 1934, the Nashville Tennessean newspaper sponsored the city’s first Golden Gloves boxing tournament at the Hippodrome, a very popular event that continued for the next thirty years. During World War II, the Hippodrome served as a USO facility where many soldiers enjoyed the social events and refreshments.

This structure, located at 800 2nd Avenue S, was renovated by Metro government as an office building. The original project was to establish a teaching hospital to be called Galloway Memorial Hospital, a joint venture between Vanderbilt and the Methodist Episcopal Church. The new hospital construction began at Vanderbilt’s south campus starting in 1916, at the southwest corner of the old University of Nashville in the “College Hill” area. However, this structure was only partially completed, as work on the new Vanderbilt hospital complex was instead established on the West End campus. The partially completed Galloway Hospital building in south Nashville stood vacant until purchased by the city for office space in the 1930s. The construction was finished and the structure was used as a local government office building. The area immediately around the campus became zoned for light industrial use or became part of I-265 through South Nashville. During the 1980s some of the neighborhood was converted back to residential use. The hill is known as “Rutledge Hill” or “Rolling Mill Hill.”

This bridge connects the public square and the central business district, on the western side of the Cumberland River, to Main Street in East Nashville. M. S. Poteat’s firm was contracted to build the bridge approaches as well as the bridge substructure.

This bridge connects the public square and the central business district, on the western side of the Cumberland River, to Main Street in East Nashville. M. S. Poteat’s firm was contracted to build the bridge approaches as well as the bridge substructure. For the final phase, the superstructure and decking, the contract went to the Nashville Bridge Company. State engineer Roy Higgs was in charge of the project. The Victory Memorial Bridge originated in part from a 1948 public movement to recognize Nashville and Davidson County military soldier casualties from World War II. Officials later favored a joint memorial including Korean War names. Constructed of 1,900 feet of modern steel in stone, it officially opened May 19, 1956, with Mayor Ben West cutting the ribbon and reading a poem titled “The Bridge Builder” by local poet Miss Will Allen Dromgoole.

A nighttime scene picturing the W.T. Grant Department Store and cars driving along Church Street in downtown Nashville.

This drawing was made by Mark Hartz Associates. The Woodland Street Bridge was the first Cumberland River bridge built under the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. The new structure was dedicated on December 1st, 1966 with an address by Mayor Briley, who recalled the history of the original Woodland Street bridge constructed in the 19th century that had served the horse and buggy traffic of Nashville and Davidson County. Fifth District Congressman Richard Fulton and Colonel Jesse Fishback, District Engineer of the Corps of Engineers, joined Mayor Briley in a ribbon cutting ceremony, along with Senator Albert Gore. Mr. John Bransford, President of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, presided at the ceremony and spoke of the increase in business in the future with the opening of a new traffic artery into the city. Colonel Fishback remarked that the new bridge was an excellent example of the cooperation between federal and local governments in the planning and funding of a project.

Exterior of the Ryman Auditorium. Signs for WSM Grand Ole Opry, Grand Ole Opry House, and National Life & Accident Insurance Company can be seen on the building’s exterior. On an adjacent building are signs for Allright Auto Park, Opry Park, and the Opry Souvenir and Gift Shop.