Rebuilding the Athens of the South.
An ethos for our time.
Successful cities have an identity, a soul, or, for the more corporate-minded, a brand.
Nashville, Tennessee has famously made its mark as “Music City,” a nickname that a popular legend says was given to us by Queen Victoria after hearing the Fisk Jubilee Singers in the 1870s. Since then, Nashville has grown into the Country Music capital of the world and a tourism juggernaut.
Long before the city was a pilgrimage site for bachelorette parties, ambitious leaders sought to brand it as a center of education and culture. Its lost moniker, “The Athens of the South,” was aspirational, and the architecture of the city reflected it. So much so that they built the only full-scale replica of the Parthenon in the world.
The “Athens of the South” was more than a brand; it was an ethos. Nashvillians sought to carry the great traditions of Western culture into the New World. It’s hard to believe today, but the city at the time was still part of the frontier. As one of the founders of Nashville, James Robertson, put it, “We are the advance guard of civilization.” They were pioneers, warriors, artists, entrepreneurs, writers, builders, farmers, poets, trappers, musicians, philosophers, and spiritual leaders, all working together to tame the wilderness and build a cultural beacon in America. In many ways this spirit isn’t totally lost, but it is perhaps slightly off course. It is time to remember who we are.
My family has called Nashville home since at least 1806. Two centuries later, I am one of the rare citizens whose ties to this town are those of land and family. Many are recent transplants, united by hot chicken and Broadway. As someone who makes a living in real estate, I am happy to welcome the growth and the newcomers, but we need something less superficial to bring us all together. We need a goal, a mission, a vision for the present and the future that serves something higher than consumerism and instant gratification. Building a new Athens should once again be our ethos.
In Nashville’s cultural epicenter, there stands a beautiful and rare opportunity. For 100 years the headquarters of Tennessee Freemasonry, a neoclassical marvel, has called the northeast corner of 7th and Broadway home. Freemasonry teaches that the three great pillars of the fraternity are Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty; for it is necessary that there be Wisdom to contrive, Strength to support, and Beauty to adorn all great and important undertakings.
Seen by all but unknown to most, this treasure could and should become the cornerstone of a cultural revival. A culture that embraces the great traditions of Western civilization. One that promotes Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty over superfluous pursuits. A culture that embodies the spirit of the “Athens of the South.” It is my mission to preserve and improve this historic wonder so that it may serve this higher calling.
Athens awaits.
