Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, also known as the Bicentennial Mall, is an urban state park in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The park is located northwest of the Tennessee State Capitol building and was opened on June 1, 1996, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the establishment of Tennessee’s statehood. Receiving more than 2.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited of Tennessee's 56 state parks.

Description

The park has its borders defined by Jefferson Street on the north, James Robertson Parkway on the south, 6th Avenue North on the east and 7th Avenue North on the west. It is situated directly north of the hill that contains the Tennessee State Capitol, which is distinctly visible from the park. The Nashville Farmers' Market is to the park's immediate west. The Tennessee State Museum is located directly west of the park's north end, and the Tennessee State Library and Archives is east of the north end.

Major features

The Bicentennial Mall features a number of design elements which provide visitors with information on Tennessee history and its natural attractions and landmarks. Both sides of the mall are lined with tulip poplars, Tennessee's state tree, and all trees and shrubs at the park are native to Tennessee. On the southern end of the park is the ''Tennessee Map Plaza'', a wide granite map of the state highlighting its cities, counties, rivers, major highways, and railroads. Eight smaller granite maps arranged below it illustrate the state's topography, geology, original inhabitants, musical heritage, and recreational opportunities. Directly north of the map is the ''Rivers of Tennessee Fountains'', which feature 31 geyser-like water fountains representing the major rivers and waterways of the state. A large trough represents the Mississippi River. A railroad trestle crosses the park between the map plaza and river fountains; the park's visitor center, restrooms, and several picnic tables are located underneath this.

Directly north of this is the ''Tennessee Amphitheater'', a 2,200-seat terraced amphitheater used for special events. It is patterned off of the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. The northern end of the park features the ''Court of 3 Stars'', a circular plaza made of red, white, and blue granite arranged in the tri-star logo found on the Flag of Tennessee. These stars represent the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee. Surrounding the plaza are 50 columns containing a 95-bell carillon, representing the 95 counties of the state and the state's musical legacy. The carillon plays a portion of the Tennessee Waltz each quarter hour, and the entire song each hour. A 96th bell housed on Capitol Hill joins in at the top of each hour, representing the government’s responsiveness to the people.

Walkways

A tree-lined linear lawn stretches between the amphitheater and the Court of 3 Stars, and features four main walking paths and several memorials. The two inner walkways make up the ''Path of Volunteers'', which alludes to Tennessee's nickname as "The Volunteer State". Each pathway is long, and was built with 17,000 pavers inscribed with the names of individuals and organizations who provided donations to the park's construction. The Pathway of Volunteers also contains the Governor's Time Capsule, which was buried during the park's groundbreaking and will be opened on June 27, 2094.

The eastern outer path is the ''Walkway of Counties'', which represents the state's geography from east to west. Throughout the walkway are time capsules from each county, arranged from north to south by Grand Division, which will be opened on the state's tricentennial on June 1, 2096. The lids of each capsule contain brief descriptions of their respective county. The planters next to the walkway highlight the state's topographical differences, and feature flora from across the state's respective regions. The walkway also contains granite obelisks which provide descriptions of the state's nine physiographic regions.

The western outer path is the ''Pathway of History'', containing a wall, which chronicles major events in the state's history with short inscriptions. A break in the wall symbolizes the state's division during the American Civil War. Each decade, from 1796 to 1996, is represented by a large granite pylon.

Monuments and memorials

A number of monuments and memorials are located adjacent to the Pathway of History. The Centennial Memorial commemorates the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition of 1897. There is also a monument to Tennesseans who served in the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Statehood Memorial is located approximately on top of the approximate location of McNairy Spring, a hydrological sulfur spring that was used by settlers and residents of the area as a main source of water in the 18th and 19th centuries. This monuments consists of a fountain representing the spring surrounded by a circular wall which contains sixteen stars. These represent Tennessee's status as the sixteenth state admitted to the Union, and information about Tennessee's statehood is also engraved in the wall. The Sulphur Springs Monument consists of three fountains flowing into a rock garden, and symbolizes the wetlands and wildlife of Tennessee.

The World War II Memorial features a plaza that contains ten pillars etched with images and descriptions of the war relevant to the state. The pillars on the east represent events from the European and Mediterranean and Middle Eastern theaters, and the western pillars represent events from the Pacific Theater. The memorial also contains a granite globe suspended by water, and a bench with the names of the seven recipients of the Medal of Honor from Tennessee. The surface of the plaza contains gold stars honoring the 5,731 Tennesseans who died during the war. A time capsule on the plaza will be opened on November 11, 2045.

History

Site history

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park is located near the site of the French Link, a natural salt lick which was fed by the McNairy Spring under the mall. French traders under the command of Charles Charleville established a trading post along the French Lick by the same name in 1714, which was the first European settlement in what is now Nashville. The French Lick and spring attracted settlers from East Tennessee to the region in 1779, who established Fort Nashborough, the namesake of Nashville, along the Cumberland River, and founded the Cumberland Association the following year. The spring continued to be used as one of the city's primary water sources throughout the 19th century, and the area gradually became known as Sulphur Bottoms.

As Nashville grew a number of residences and businesses occupied the site. Between the 1880s and the 1950s, part of the site that was prone to flooding was used as a dump, with many relics from this period found during construction. A brick sewer tunnel was also constructed under the site of the park in 1892. Beginning in the early 20th century, the area fell into disrepair, and became a red light district. By the 1940s, many of the structures on the site were declared substandard and were demolished as part of an urban renewal project initiated in 1950.

Park history

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, a building boom resulted in several skyscrapers being constructed around the capitol building. The view to the north, however, remaining unobstructed, and a movement arose to preserve this. In 1989, then-Governor Ned McWherter suggested that the land to the north of the capitol be converted into a green space modeled on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., with the intent of opening for the state's bicentennial. At the time, the state had been planning to construct a large office complex on much of the property, and had already purchased much of the land. In 1992, McWherter appointed the Tennessee Bicentennial Commission to oversee the planning of the statewide bicentennial celebration, which included construction of the park.

The cornerstone for the mall was laid on June 27, 1994, in a ceremony overseen by Governor McWherter. It was designed by Tuck Hinton Architects, with Ross/Fowler Landscape Architects. The park was dedicated on June 1, 1996, by then-Governor Don Sundquist and Vice President Al Gore on as part of a celebration of Tennessee's 200th anniversary of statehood. The World War II memorial was dedicated on Veterans Day, November 11, 1997. The carillon was part of the original plan, but was cut from the initial construction in 1995 due to state budget constraints. Construction did not begin until January 1999, and the carillon began operation on July 14, 2000. The bell on Capitol Hill was dedicated on June 1, 2003. The Tennessee Department of Transportation placed a time capsule on the north end of the park on July 1, 2015, as part of a celebration of the organization's centennial. It will be unearthed on July 1, 2115.

Honors

In 2006, the '' Nashville Business Journal'' ranked the Bicentennial Mall as the number one tourist attraction in Nashville. In 2011, the American Planning Association listed the park as one of the top ten public spaces in the United States.

References

External links

Bicentennial Mall website
at TNStateParks.com

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Culture of Nashville, Tennessee
Parks in Nashville, Tennessee
State parks of Tennessee
1996 establishments in Tennessee