Music Row Named to 2019 America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places List
Music Row has been named one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Nashville neighborhood, home to a number of country music and music industry publishing companies, studios and other businesses, has, in recent years, seen the demolition of older buildings in favor of new hotels and condominiums.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has compiled its yearly list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places since 1988, "to raise awareness about the threats facing some of the nation's greatest treasures," according to the organization. The NTHP says that, thanks to its awareness-raising efforts, only "a handful" of the more than 300 places put on those lists to date have been lost.
Joining Music Row on 2019's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list are the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago, Ill.; the Excelsior Club in Charlotte, N.C.; the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge in Bismarck, N.D.; and more. The National Trust for Historic Preservation calls Music Row "a world-class musical mecca ... unlike any other place in the world."
"Since 2013, 50 buildings — the majority serving music-related functions — have been demolished to make way for new development," the NTHP explains. "With a new plan to guide Music Row’s future under development, now is an important time to urge Nashville lawmakers to preserve and protect this epicenter of America’s musical heritage."
The National Trust for Historic Preservation encourages list-readers to contact lawmakers to voice support for the preservation of the places on their 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list. The Music Row preservation form is available here.
Preservationists have kept their eyes on Music Row for years, as Nashville's population and popularity among tourists has continued to increase. The call to preserve Music Row particularly intensified in 2014, after developers purchased the historic RCA Studio A property with plans to tear down the building and replace it with condos. At the last minute, philanthropist Aubrey Preston stepped in to buy the space and preserve Studio A, which now has Dave Cobb as its caretaker and producer-in-residence.
Earlier this spring, Nashville's Metro Planning Commission, property owners, preservationists and others unveiled their Music Row Vision Plan, which has been in the works since 2015. A final draft of the plan will be presented in mid-June.
In 2015, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Music Row a national treasure. In 2016, some of the neighborhood's most iconic buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.
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