Aubrey Preston was a relatively unknown Tennesse resident a few weeks ago, but he might now be the most beloved person around Nashville. A philanthropist who worked in health care real estate, he purchased Music Row's historic RCA Studio A, previously owned by developer Tim Reynolds and his company, Bravo Development, in the final hours before the deadline Reynolds set for buyers wanting to purchase and preserve the building.

"The person that got me involved was [songwriter and Save Studio A member] Trey Bruce, an old friend," Preston tells Music Row. "Our kids went to school together. He called me, and we went out for coffee, and he started showing me what was going on [with RCA Studio A], and to tell you the truth, I didn’t believe what I was hearing, so I had to go look and understand it a little more. I was astonished about what was getting ready to happen."

Preston, who lives in Leipers Fork, Tenn., just outside of Nashville, and is credited with making that town a thriving community, says he doesn't know exactly what he will do with RCA Studio A, other than maintain its historic integrity.

"My general way of going about things in the past has been to follow a path of pure preservation," he explains. "If I was guessing right now, I would say we would try to make the property look and feel a lot like it did in 1965, and of course this will involve getting pictures from the archives. We understand RCA and New York [have archives], and there are other people who have a lot of pictures. As some of those things come forward and we understand what the building looked like in 1965, when it was opened, that will be very important to how we guide the property."

Reynolds purchased the building for $4.075 million, with plans to destroy the building and erect condos in its place. But thanks to the diligence of several Nashville residents, including Studio A tenants Jamey Johnson and Ben Folds, who wanted to see RCA Studio A preserved, Reynolds and his company, Bravo Development, put the building back on the market, with a deadline of 5 PM on Sept. 30.

Preston purchased the building for $5.6 million.

“In light of public concern, we ultimately decided to select the buyer that plans to preserve the building and hopefully open it to the public," Reynolds says in a statement.

Preston formed AMT Trust the day of the sale in order to be able to purchase the building.

"AMT is a little company that I put together really at the eleventh hour, because I didn’t wake up last Tuesday thinking I was going to buy a building," he explains. "I realized that nobody else was going to buy it, and I thought it was impossible that the building could be torn down ...There’s a lot of discovery that needs to happen as far as the best way to preserve it in the long run, which is our primary goal.

"I’m so grateful that Mr. Reynolds gave us an option at the eleventh hour to purchase the property and avoid this disaster for our town," Preston adds.

Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley founded Studio A in 1964. Lyle Lovett, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson, the Oak Ridge Boys, Vince GillFaith Hill, Alan Jackson, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, Lee Ann Womack, Hank Williams, Jr., Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves and the Beach Boys, are among the many artists who have recorded in the legendary building.

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