Vanderbilt, Peabody, Blair, Roger Williams (21st Ave.)

For this stop, you can explore Vanderbilt’s Peabody Campus or walk across 21st Avenue to Vanderbilt’s main campus. Now let’s get back to our story.

Over the last 150 years, Vanderbilt University has expanded its campus, drawing students from all over the world. With a total student body of over 13,000, Vanderbilt is listed as one of the top 15 schools in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. Today, Vanderbilt has four schools and colleges: the College of Arts and Science, the School of Engineering, Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and Blair School of Music. They also have top-ranked doctoral programs in medicine, law, divinity, and business. 

You passed the Blair School of Music, located at 2400 Blakemore Ave., on your way to this stop. It was founded in 1964 by the Justin and Blair Potter Foundation and originally served as the School of Music for George Peabody College for Teachers. In 1981, the Blair Academy of Music merged with Vanderbilt University, becoming Vanderbilt’s tenth school and bringing music education to the university. In the early 2000s, the Blair School of Music expanded with the opening of the Martha Rivers Ingram Center for Performing Arts and Ingram Hall, named for Vanderbilt benefactor and former Board Chair, Martha Rivers Ingram. 

So, I just mentioned the George Peabody College for Teachers. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the school was originally part of the University of Nashville—which you learned about on Stop 1. To understand Peabody’s history, there are some interesting dots to connect. Founded in 1875, Peabody was located downtown and served as the College of Education for the University of Nashville. The school’s mission was to train a new generation of educators who could revitalize K-12 education in Nashville and across the South. 

The University of Nashville closed in 1909 but Peabody kept going. Peabody’s board purchased land next door to Vanderbilt, and reopened on a new campus in 1912. The school was known for its progressive educational philosophy and was an early thought leader in K-12 teacher training and educational administration. In fact, the University School of Nashville was originally part of Peabody—known as the Peabody Demonstration School. Then in 1979, Peabody merged with Vanderbilt University, but it remains one of the nation’s leading think tanks for educational leadership, pedagogy, and human organization.

Feel free to walk and explore the Peabody campus, located at 1210 21st Avenue. As you do, I’ll briefly mention two additional schools that are central to the Nashville story. The first is Roger Williams University. Founded in 1866 as the Nashville Normal and Theological Institute, the school trained African American teachers, preachers, and missionaries. The school moved in 1874 and built a new campus, literally across the street from Vanderbilt University, which had been established a year earlier. Incorporated as Roger Williams University in 1883, the school awarded its first master’s degree in 1886. 

Roger Williams University was pivotal to the uplift of the Black community after the Civil War, which unfortunately also made it a target of racism. The school suffered a series of fires from 1905 to 1908—which destroyed its main buildings. Many believe the fires were the result of arson, though an official cause was never determined. They relocated to North Nashville and eventually sold this property to Peabody College. And so the site of Roger Williams University shifted from a Black teachers’ college to a white teachers’ college. In 1927, Roger Williams moved to Memphis and merged with LeMoyne-Owen College. But it’s worth noting that from 1866 to 1908—Roger Williams University produced the largest number of Black teachers in Nashville. 

As you walk back to your car, we’ll tell you about Scarritt-Bennett—located at 1027 18th Ave. South. This is where we directed you to park for this stop. 

The Scarritt College for Christian Workers was established in 1892 by the United Methodist Church. Originally in Kansas City, this small college relocated to Nashville in 1924. It wasn’t a traditional university, but the school was nationally recognized for its commitment to social justice and spiritual growth. In 1952, the college became one of the first private colleges in Tennessee to desegregate. Then in 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached in the school’s chapel during a Conference on Christian Faith and Human Relations. 

In 1988, the school discontinued its degree programs and became the Scarritt-Bennett Conference Center. Today, the center hosts programs and events—continuing the college’s mission to “fight for women’s empowerment, racial justice, and dignity for all.” To learn more about Vanderbilt, Peabody College, and Roger Williams University, take the Belmont-Hillsboro-Vanderbilt walking tour on Nashville Sites.

Turn LEFT back on to Edgehill Ave. Drive four blocks, crossing over 16th and 17th Aves. aka Music Row, and then turn RIGHT on 15th Ave S. Learn more about Music Row on our Music Row Neighborhood and Historic Music Row walking tours, and learn about the Edgehill neighborhood on our Edgehill walking tour. At the light, turn RIGHT on to Wedgewood Ave. This approach will give you the best view of the Belmont campus, from the newer campus buildings on 15th to the oldest part of campus near 18th. Turn LEFT on 17th Ave S then LEFT on 18th Ave S. Immediately turn LEFT on Acklen Ave. to find visitor parking by the Belmont Mansion.