Little Sisters of the Poor

Little Sisters of the Poor’s Home for the Aged was built on Eighteenth Avenue South decades before the area was known as Music Row. The estate-like structure was completed in 1916 by the Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic order whose mission was to care for the elderly. It operated as a nursing home for senior citizens who lacked family support and/or financial means, with a capacity of approximately 100 residents. Admission required that all applicants be of “good moral character and not less than sixty years of age.” Any and all religious denominations were admitted. The building’s construction was supervised by Christian Albert Asmus, a prominent local architect who designed over 500 buildings in Nashville between 1892 and 1945. In fact, he would end up calling this building home, as he lived in the residence until his death in 1954.

The Little Sisters of the Poor closed in 1968, but the complex continued to operate as a nursing home, under private ownership, until the 1980s. BMG Entertainment purchased the property in 1998 and converted it into an office and recording space for its music labels, in addition to leasing it to other music industry-related businesses. The Nashville Historical Foundation recognized the renovation of the National Register-listed property with an architectural award in 1999. Vanderbilt University purchased the complex in 2014 for $12.1 million. The building now provides academic space close to Vanderbilt’s main campus. The building sits on 2.7 acres and is next door to Vanderbilt’s Martha Rivers Ingram Commons on your far right. 

Walk down Horton Avenue to 17th Avenue South and turn RIGHT. Walk to about 1600 17th Avenue South and press play to hear about your final stop on this tour, the Music Row neighborhood.