City Market (now Ben West Building) and Nashville Inn

You are looking at the Ben West Building, but originally this was the site of Nashville’s City Market, or the Market House as it was called. This was Nashville’s earliest center of building and social activity as the city grew from frontier village to a commercial hub. It was, as they say, the place where town met country. The Market House dates back to 1801, just five years after Tennessee became a state, and was financed by taxes on sellers and property. In addition to taxes, the building was subsidized by a $5.00 fee levied on each billiard table in town! A new building was commissioned after the election of Tennessean Andrew Jackson as U.S. President in 1828. It was described in the newspapers as “unequal in extent, convenience and elegance” to every market place in the country with the exception of the Boston Market House.

Two enclosed structures adjoined the market on the northern and southern ends, which provided rooms for city offices. The TN Supreme Court even met here for a time due to “the dilapidated state of the old courthouse.” One of the rooms housed a geological museum featuring the collection of Dr. Gerard Troost, one of the country’s most famous geologists. In 1898, a bell tower was added to the roof. It was used as a fire bell or to announce curfews, enacted by the city council from time to time. The Market House was also connected to two underground water cisterns used by the fire department.

By the 1930s, the Market House had become run down, and the structure that you see here now houses several courts and offices. The coming of electric refrigerators, followed by the creation of supermarkets after WWII, made the concept of a city marketplace obsolete. A new farmer’s market opened in 1957 on 8^th Avenue South. Today, the Market House, attached to the south end of the Farmer’s Market just down the road, is a thriving international food court, garden center, and a reflection of our city’s diverse ethnic communities. You will pass it later on the tour.

Now locate the historical marker for the Nashville Inn. You will find many historic and new hotels in Nashville’s downtown, but right beside the original Market House was the city’s very first hotel. Established by William Lewis, the hotel was named Winn’s Inn in 1806 and, later, the Nashville Inn. The small hotel was a place for weary travelers to stay, especially in a frontier town with few options for lodging. It was destroyed by fire in 1856, and one important guest was staying there when the flames began. Luckily, Andrew Johnson, then Tennessee’s governor, escaped without injury. He would later become vice-president of the United States under Abraham Lincoln, and then president, from 1865-1868, following Lincoln’s assassination.

Use the crosswalk opposite the Ben West building’s entrance to cross over James Robertson Parkway. Continue walking straight, following the sidewalk to the right of the parking garage and toward the Public Square. You will quickly approach the Observation Tower featuring the names of Donelson and Robertson on the towers. Walk through the towers, entering Nashville’s Public Square Park. Follow the curved path to the opposing side of the field. Begin the next narrative as you walk.