21c Museum Hotel

Your next stop is indoors, so head inside to the 21c Museum Hotel, on your right, at 221 Second Avenue North. While this is a hotel, it is also an art gallery. It is open 365 days a year, and free public restrooms can be found inside, as well as a bar and a restaurant.

The 21c Museum Hotel is located in the former building of the Gray and Dudley Hardware Company. This building was constructed in 1900 and reflects Nashville’s prominence in the early twentieth century as a major center for manufacturing and distribution of dry goods, groceries, hardware, and other products. Gray and Dudley Hardware was formed in 1880 by John Gray and Robert Dudley. When this building was completed in 1900, it was described as the “largest business house ever built in this city.” Gray and Dudley operated here until 1943. Today, the 21c Hotel’s restaurant is named in their honor. You can learn more about the restaurant on our Food for Thought tour.

21c Museum Hotels was founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 2006 by contemporary art collectors and preservationists Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson. In 2019, there were eight hotels with three additional hotels to open the following year. Each hotel is located in a refurbished historic building and with rotating art exhibits that are free to the public and hotel guests.

The 21c Museum Hotel brought its unique blend of hospitality and culture to downtown Nashville in 2017. This beautifully re-purposed building features 124 hotel rooms while the main floor displays 10,500 feet of art exhibits ranging from ceramic and metal sculptures to paintings to light and visual displays. According to the hotel’s owners, the art showcases “the global nature of contemporary culture.” 

With close proximity to Nashville's Fifth Avenue of the Arts, the gallery located inside the hotel is an important part of the public art scene in Nashville. It provides an accessible and often interactive art experience, boasting content that will inspire and excite anyone who loves art. Rounding out the collections offered by Nashville’s more traditional art museums—like the Frist Art Museum or the Tennessee State Museum—the 21c Museum Hotel offers a new way to experience Nashville's rich and diverse art scene. Guided tours of the exhibits are offered on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm and Thursdays at 5:30 pm.

When exiting the hotel gallery, turn RIGHT onto Second Avenue North. Continue on Second Avenue, passing Church Street, until you reach Commerce Street. Cross Second Avenue at Commerce Street to the other side of the street. Butler's Run will be on your left.