Davidson County Courthouse and Witness Walls

The Davidson County Courthouse, situated on a bluff overlooking the Cumberland River, features Art Deco architecture and was completed in 1937. The present building replaced a pre-Civil War structure and is the fifth building on this site. The courthouse also serves as city hall and houses the mayor’s office as part of the Public Square complex. Public Square was a major focal point during Nashville’s sit-in movement. Find the plaque beside the main entrance doors to read about the Civil Rights movement, then resume the narration.

After the first two sit-ins in February 1960, a temporary truce held throughout March. However, the Reverend Kelly Miller Smith’s NCLC and Fisk University professor of economics, Dr. Vivian Henderson, continued their call for economic boycotts on downtown businesses, while students picketed outside of targeted stores. Then, in the early morning of April 19, a group of segregationists coordinated and carried out a terrorist attack—bombing Attorney Z. Alexander Looby’s home on Meharry Boulevard. Looby was a nationally recognized civil rights attorney who represented student protestors in court. Luckily, Looby and his wife Grafta were unharmed, but the explosion shattered over 100 windows at Meharry Medical College across the street. This targeted act and attempted murder led to the movement’s most powerful moment.

This moment arose from a march that began on the Tennessee State University campus after the bombing. What began as 2,000 people swelled to 3,000 people as they walked in silence for nearly four miles to city hall. Mayor Ben West met them on the steps. Once there, Reverend C.T. Vivian challenged West’s lack of action in the face of police brutality and violence against African Americans. Mayor West denied the accusations, and as the conversation grew heated—student leader Diane Nash interjected: “Then Mayor West, do you feel it is wrong to discriminate against a person solely on the basis of their race or color?” He agreed it was wrong, and Nash continued, “Do you mean that to include lunch counters?” The mayor said, “yes,” and the marchers erupted in cheers. Three weeks later, the first phase of the Nashville Civil Rights movement ended when Nashville became the first southern city to desegregate lunch counters on May 10 with six of the seven downtown stores integrating their food services.

To reach the Witness Walls, walk to the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Third Avenue North. Continue the narration once you reach the Witness Walls.

Today just a few feet from where students demanded equal treatment as first-class citizens in 1960, stands a memorial called Witness Walls. This outdoor space includes reflective fountains, benches, and musical recordings from the Civil Rights era. Although Nashville began the process of desegregating its lunch counters in May of 1960, not all downtown eateries integrated. Thus, the protests continued and expanded to include other segregated businesses that you will see later in the tour.

Cross Third Avenue at Deaderick Street. Listen to the narration as you walk three blocks up Deaderick toward War Memorial Plaza. Cross Sixth Ave. N and climb the stairs to reach the plaza, or turn RIGHT on Union St. to enter without stairs. Feel free to explore the War Memorial Auditorium and Plaza before continuing this tour.