Belmont University

We have now arrived at our final stop on the tour, Belmont University. The campus sits on the former 177-acre estate of Adelicia Hayes Acklen, anchored by an Italian-style villa with 35 rooms and 20,000 square feet. The mansion, completed in 1853, was named Belle Monte or “beautiful mountain” in Italian. Over the years it became known, simply, as Belmont. After Adelicia’s death in 1887, the central part of the estate was sold to two educators from Philadelphia. Ida Hood and Susan Heron purchased the property, and Belmont College for Young Women opened its doors in 1890.

Hood and Heron modeled the school after women’s colleges in the Northeast. In 1913, the college merged with Ward Seminary to become the Ward-Belmont School. Ward-Belmont featured a music conservatory, high school, and junior college. The school included day students, from the Nashville area, as well as students from across the nation. It quickly rose to prominence as one of the most prestigious all-female institutions in the South. At its height, there were over 1200 students, led by longtime President John Blanton and his wife Anna Blanton. In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt even visited the campus. 

However, the Great Depression of the 1930s took its toll on the school’s enrollment and finances. In May 1951, the local community was shocked to learn that the Board of Trustees had sold the school to the Tennessee Baptist Convention. The following year, the school reopened as Belmont College—a four-year coeducational institution. In 1991, Belmont College became Belmont University. In 2007, Belmont officially severed ties with the Tennessee Baptist Convention, but remains a non-denominational Christian-centered university.

Today, Belmont is considered one of the fastest growing private, Christian universities in the nation. With nearly 9,000 students, the school’s liberal arts foundation also extends to strong programs in nursing, pharmacy, music, business, and interdisciplinary studies. Belmont’s doctoral programs include a medical school and law school. In 2021, the Belmont Data Collaborative was established to develop, support, and promote data-related programming. And let’s not forget about athletics! Belmont is an NCAA Division I member of the Missouri Valley Conference and opened the Crockett Center for Athletic Excellence in 2021.

The university also benefits from its proximity to Music Row—Nashville’s historic music recording industry. The Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business is named for Mike Curb. Curb is the CEO of Curb Records and one of the industry’s most successful music producers. Take our Historic Music Row tour to learn more. To hear more about Belmont, take our Belmont-Hillsboro-Vanderbilt walking tour or Women’s Sports History driving tour.

Congratulations! You’ve completed the Athens of the South tour. Nashville was and remains the “Athens of the South.” In fact, there are so many colleges and universities we could not include them all. If you have time, consider an optional stop to Lipscomb University. Located two miles southwest of Belmont, you can enter the Lipscomb campus from either Belmont Blvd. or Granny White Pike. The school began as Nashville Bible College in 1891, founded by Reverend David Lipscomb and James Harding. 

In 1988, the college was renamed Lipscomb University following its accreditation to award master’s degrees. In addition to nearly 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Lipscomb also operates Lipscomb Academy, which offers grades K-12. If you have an extra day in Nashville, consider a visit to Trevecca Nazarene University, located just south of downtown. Also take a drive to Northeast Nashville to visit American Baptist College. This private college includes notable alumni such as John Lewis and C.T. Vivian.

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the many schools that call Nashville home. We may be known as Music City, but institutions of higher education are a core component of what makes our city special. According to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, approximately 60 percent of our college graduates stay in Middle Tennessee to live and work. In turn, these graduates create a talent pipeline that attracts new industry and business. In other words, Nashville’s reputation as a vibrant city is rooted in the stability and success of our educational institutions.

Be sure check out our other tours, tag us @NashvilleSites on social media, and look for the yellow “Donate” button at the top of your screen. Thank you for using Nashville Sites, this is Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel signing off!