Belmont-Hillsboro-Vanderbilt

Welcome to the Belmont-Hillsboro-Vanderbilt walking tour on Nashville Sites! If you are a student, resident, or visitor interested in learning about this historic area, then you’ve come to the right place. In addition to history, this tour includes many great stops, murals, trivia, and plenty of places to eat, drink, and shop. Want to know where to get the best pancakes in town? Want to hear about the first radio station in Nashville? Want to watch a movie in a theatre that’s nearly 100 years old? For all of these things and more about Belmont, Vanderbilt, and other schools and neighborhoods… join us as we walk through the past and the present.

This area represents one of Nashville’s earliest suburbs—back before interstates and major highways at least. Just think about this, over 150 years ago the only way to reach this spot was by foot or by horse. Then in the late 1800s, the first electric streetcars arrived in Nashville and Belmont-Hillsboro-Vanderbilt became one of the most desirable places to live and learn. Only two miles west of downtown, most people today would consider this area to be part of Nashville’s urban core, but it all began with the Belmont Mansion. Completed before the Civil War in 1853, this structure anchored the larger estate, which was named Belle Monte or “beautiful mountain” in Italian.

By the 1870s, Vanderbilt University had established roots just down the road. The university was founded by the Methodist Church after a $1 million gift from Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of the wealthiest men of his time. Then in 1890, part of Belmont estate became a women’s college while the remaining land was sold and divided into residential lots. This created the Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood as well as part of what is known as Music Row. There was also an African American university located across the street from Vanderbilt. Roger Williams University sold the property to George Peabody College for Teachers in 1911. You’ll see all of these schools as well as the surrounding neighborhood on this tour. If you want to know more about Nashville’s reputation as a hub for higher education, take our Athens of the South driving tour or Downtown Schools and Education walking tour.

Hello and welcome, my name is Sarah Lawson. I am a Belmont University student and will be your guide as we journey through time and place. So without further ado, let’s get moving!