War Memorial Plaza and Auditorium

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Tennessee War Memorial complex includes memorials to Tennesseans who made the ultimate sacrifice in war, state offices, and the famed War Memorial Auditorium. The 2,000-seat performance hall, completed in 1925, was designed by Nashville architect Edward Dougherty. During the 1950s and 1960s, the building was a popular stop on the African American theater circuit and hosted notable performers such as The Five Satins, Bo Diddley, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles. Martin Luther King Jr. also spoke here. During the month of September in 1961, national civil rights activists held several meetings and a benefit concert in Nashville to support the Southern Christian Leadership Council.

On September 27, 1961, actor and musician Harry Belefonte and his Troupe held a benefit concert for the SCLC at the Ryman Auditorium. Earlier that day at Clark Memorial Methodist Church, James Farmer, executive director of Congress of Racial Equality, known as CORE, and James Lawson, a leader in the Nashville Movement, spoke at a meeting of SCLC. The following day, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech here at War Memorial at 8:00 p.m.

Then on September 29, Spottswood William Robinson III delivered an address to a crowded hall here at War Memorial Auditorium. Robinson was a civil rights attorney who was involved in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case. In 1964, he became the first African American appointed Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Circuit Court and two years later he served on the prestigious United States Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia. War Memorial was certainly a major gathering place for national leaders to speak directly to all those involved in the fight for equal rights. Before walking to the Hermitage Hotel, look toward the state capitol and note that the street is named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, renamed in his honor in 2018.

Exit the plaza at Union St. and cross over the opposite side of the street to the Hermitage Hotel.