The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is constructed in what was formerly Nashville's historic main post office, a city landmark that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The post office opened in 1934, but as the city grew, so did the need for a larger mail-handling facility. When a new main post office was built in 1986, the Broadway office became a downtown branch, using only part of a single floor in the three-story building.
A community-wide "visioning process" among Nashville's citizens in the early 1990s highlighted the public desire for a major new visual arts facility. A committee determined that the underused post office building would make an ideal home for the new art center.
Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr., M.D. and his family, through the charitable Frist Foundation, committed to lead the effort to create a center. The Foundation formed a unique public/private partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, the City of Nashville, and the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency to acquire the historic building and surrounding land as the new home for an art center.
In 1998, the building's ownership transferred to the City of Nashville for the purpose of creating the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. The remaining branch post office relocated to renovated space on the lower level of the building in November 1999.
Originally designed by Marr and Holman Architects, the exterior of the building is a hallmark example of the stripped classic or "Classic Moderne" style that was predominant in public buildings in the early 1930s. A major goal of the building's renovation is to preserve its interior Art Deco ornamental features while updating the facilities to present-day standards for displaying works of art.
The center is located at 919 Broadway, Nashville, Tennessee, 37203. Contact Visitor Services for more information at (615) 244-3340.
Frist Center for the Visual Arts.
Above photo from the Frist Website.
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is constructed in what was formerly Nashville's historic main post office, a city landmark that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
The post office opened in 1934, but as the city grew, so did the need for a larger mail-handling facility. When a new main post office was built in 1986, the Broadway office became a downtown branch, using only part of a single floor in the three-story building.
A community-wide "visioning process" among Nashville's citizens in the early 1990s highlighted the public desire for a major new visual arts facility. A committee determined that the underused post office building would make an ideal home for the new art center.
Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr., M.D. and his family, through the charitable Frist Foundation, committed to lead the effort to create a center. The Foundation formed a unique public/private partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, the City of Nashville, and the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency to acquire the historic building and surrounding land as the new home for an art center.
In 1998, the building's ownership transferred to the City of Nashville for the purpose of creating the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. The remaining branch post office relocated to renovated space on the lower level of the building in November 1999.
Originally designed by Marr and Holman Architects, the exterior of the building is a hallmark example of the stripped classic or "Classic Moderne" style that was predominant in public buildings in the early 1930s. A major goal of the building's renovation is to preserve its interior Art Deco ornamental features while updating the facilities to present-day standards for displaying works of art.
The center is located at 919 Broadway, Nashville, Tennessee, 37203. Contact Visitor Services for more information at (615) 244-3340.