Paddle
Boat Lunch Cruise and the Nashville Parthenon
While
we were enjoying having family with us we all delighted in a Riverboat Lunch
Cruise down the Cumberland River. A
great old fashion paddle boat, a delicious lunch buffet and awesome views of
downtown Nashville including the ‘Batman Building’!
Our
next stop was the Nashville Parthenon. I
know I know, your thinking isn’t the Parthenon in Greece???? Why yes it is! The ruins of the original Parthenon remains
in Greece. Nashville first built a full
scale replica of the Parthenon in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition.
The city’s construction was of brick, wood lath and plaster, and represented
the city’s reputation as the “Athens of the South”. It housed an art exhibition consisting of
1,172 pieces from all over the world.
While other structures from the Exposition were removed when the
celebration ended, the Parthenon was so popular the city left the temporary
construction standing.
By
1920 the building had crumbling pediments and decaying plaster so the city
authorized reconstruction of the landmark with permanent materials. It was also to create a complete replica of
the original Greek Temple both inside and out.
On May 21, 1931, the Parthenon reopened to the public and attracted
10,000 visitors from 46 states 12 foreign countries during its first month!
The
Parthenon is still a Museum of Art and includes various Art exhibits throughout
the year. Also included for viewing as
part of the Parthenon’s permanent collection are casts of the pediment
fragments and sculptures.
More
to come soon 😊
Jan 🌷🌷🐾🐾
