Butler's Run

Butler’s Run was the first mixed used building in downtown Nashville to feature retail establishments, offices and a private residence. The 50,000 square foot building was constructed in 1892 by H.G. (Horace Greeley) Lipscomb and housed his business, H.G. Lipscomb & Co. Hardware. His half-brother David Lipscomb co-founded Nashville Bible College, today’s Lipscomb University, along with James Harding in 1891. The Hardware company relocated to Southeast Nashville in 1982, and Steve and Judy Turner purchased the H.G. Lipscomb building from R.C. Mathews in 1992.

The Turners renovated the building in the 1990s and removed sixteen feet of the building’s width, creating a narrow courtyard through the center that connects the building’s retail front on the Second Avenue side to the Riverfront Park on the First Avenue side. The passage is named Butler's Run after the owners’ beloved dog. The bronze statue in the middle is a life-size memorial piece for the dog. Local sculptor and artist Alan LeQuire was commissioned to create the statue and along with it comes a short story about Butler. Rescued from the Nashville Humane Society, the lively and popular springer spaniel black lab mix earned the nickname “Canine Bon Vivant,” meaning “life of the party.” 

After viewing Butler’s Run return to Second Avenue North and turn LEFT walking down Second Avenue North until you reach Broadway. When you reach Broadway turn LEFT. Walk down Broadway to the Cumberland Riverfront where you are in full view of the Ghost Ballet across the river.