The enthusiasm for Ancient Greece was great in the new world and huge in the young United States. Almost 10,000 kilometers away from ancient Athens, the most important men in Nashville loved the great Greeks. The Acropolis and Parthenon are considered outstanding examples of human ingenuity in the young West. Everyone should be able to see that. It's just that Greece is very far away.
An American solution
It then becomes a truly American solution. Because it is decided to simply build an exact replica of the ancient Parthenon in Athens, Greece for the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition in 1897, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the state of Tennessee. The exhibition was originally intended to celebrate the economic, cultural and technological achievements of the region for all to see.
This, as everyone can see, now also includes the ability to exactly recreate the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville, a city nicknamed the "Athens of the South" because of its many educational institutions, initially opted for a building made of plaster and wood that was not to last long. It was only intended as a central exhibition space for art and culture during the exposition.
Greek in America
But the identical fake of the symbol of classical Greek architecture from the 5th century BC, built as Athena's temple, caused great enthusiasm. William Crawford Smith, an architect from Nashville who studied Greek architecture intensively, undertook to rebuild the Parthenon out of steel and concrete so that the city could permanently show how great its appreciation for classical architecture is and how deep its connection to ancient civilization is.
Standing in front of the portal of the Parthenon in Nashville today, the idea seems as impressive as it is crazy. Under the blue sky of Tennessee, the classical building from 2,500 years ago looks like a piece of Ancient Greece (read here about the hill of the Ancient gods) in the new world. So strange, in fact, that the architectural masterpiece attracts thousands of visitors each year to admire the precise replica and the works of art it contains.
The Parthenon in Athens was built of hand-cut marble from Mount Pentilicon, about 10 miles from the Acropolis. Nashville's Parthenon was made of cast concrete aggregate. John J. Earley perfected a technique of mixing and molding concrete that brought the colorful pebbles to the surface.
The Early Process gives Nashville's Parthenon a honey-brown color in an attempt to imitate the weathered penetelic marble of the original, which contains iron oxide that turns pale gold over time.
The Nashville construction firm Foster and Creighton used molds like this one to form the exterior columns of the Parthenon in the 1920's. This is the only remaining mold of hundreds used on the project. The mold is made of staff, a plaster and fiber mixture resembling stucco.
The everlasting Exhibition
The Parthenon now serves as an art museum and houses an impressive collection of American art from the 19th and 20th centuries. This too seems like an echo of the "Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition" that took place in Nashville from May 1 to October 31, 1897.
The exhibition at that time included numerous pavilions that represented various aspects of industry, agriculture, art and culture. Today, the paintings, sculptures and photos from that exhibition show how great the cultural and historical importance of Greek civilization still is for Nashville.
A giant statue
Inside it is a replica of the Athena Parthenos, the monumental statue of Athena that originally stood in the original Parthenon. This statue, created by Alan LeQuire, is the largest indoor statue in the Western world and depicts Athena holding a Nike and a shield at her feet.
The statue of Athena Parthenos was the primary focus of the ancient Parthenon. It was made in the 5th century BCE by the famous sculptor Pheidias. Nothing survives of the ancient sculpture, but there are smaller Roman versions.
The original statue was constructed using a combination of cast gold and carved ivory. It was assembled in sections onto a wooden armature. The modern statue was cast in sections and assembled, but with modern materials: a gypsum cement and fiberglass compound attached to a steel framework.
LeQuire's statue is 41 feet 10 inches (12.7 meters) tall and is covered in 23.75K gold leaf and painted to resemble ivory.
The Parthenon also serves as a venue for art exhibitions, most notably the Elgin Marbles' replicas, which represent the missing pieces of the Athenian Parthenon friezes. This not only cultivates and celebrates art, but also Nashville's history and urban identity.
The Park and Pond
The Parthenon is located in Centennial Park, one of Nashville's largest and most popular parks. The park covers an area of 132 acres and offers a variety of recreational opportunities, including walking trails, picnic areas and sports facilities. A particular highlight of the park is the picturesque pond, which is surrounded by lush greenery and offers a tranquil atmosphere. The pond is a popular spot for walks and boat rides and offers stunning views of the Parthenon.
A stroll through Centennial Park will reveal numerous memorial busts and steles commemorating significant figures and events in Tennessee's history. These monuments are spread throughout the park and offer visitors the opportunity to learn more about the region's rich history and cultural heritage. Notable monuments include busts of Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson, three United States presidents who are natives of Tennessee.
Beautiful Centennial Park
Centennial Park also offers a variety of recreational opportunities and is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike. A large pond lies near the Parthenon that not only provides a scenic view but also serves as a retreat for visitors who want to enjoy the tranquility and beauty of the surroundings. This pond is often filled with swans and other aquatic birds, a surrounding that create an idyllic atmosphere.
Last but not least, the Muses made of stone help with this: a series of busts of the Muses, the goddesses of arts and sciences, are scattered throughout the park, reinforcing the connection to classical antiquity.
A walk in the park with Muses
Centennial Park is not only a place of history and culture, but also a lively space for community activities, concerts, and local events that make the city of Nashville lively and dynamic.
The Parthenon in Nashville thus stands as a significant monument that emphasizes the city's cultural connection to the roots of Western civilization, while at the same time being a place of modern community and education.
