William Edmondson’s Home

Locate the historical marker on your left. It celebrates William Edmondson—one of the most highly regarded sculptors of the twentieth century. Born in 1874, his parents were formerly enslaved. As a young man, Edmondson was a railroad worker, hospital janitor, and stone mason apprentice. Over the years Edmondson saved enough money to purchase this plot of land on 14th Avenue South. Here he built a home, which later functioned as his studio.

There is an urban legend about Edmondson’s start as a sculptor. Inspired by a vision from God, Edmundson started carving using discarded limestone and old railroad spikes that he fashioned into chisels. Most likely, his source of limestone was from the nearby quarry on Meridian Hill. His work included free standing sculptures, grave memorials, tombstones, and garden ornaments. His artistic style was inspired by animals, Biblical characters, and even real people—from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to local Nashville teachers. By the early 1930s, Edmondson had gained local recognition as a renowned sculptor. 

In 1937, Edmondson became the first Black artist, as well as the first Tennessean, to be awarded a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Over the course of his career as an artist, he remained a resident of Edgehill—living and sculpting at his home. He passed away in 1951, but Edmondson’s work can still be seen in museums across the United States, including the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, and the Tennessee State Museum and Cheekwood Estate & Gardens—both in Nashville. In 2014, Mayor Karl Dean opened Nashville’s first arts park located on Charlotte Avenue. Fittingly, it is named William Edmondson Park.

This historical marker indicates the former site of his home and studio. Today, in its place, you see Edgehill Memorial Park and the grounds of the old Murrell School. Community members continue to celebrate and preserve Edmondson’s legacy.

Turn around so that the William Edmondson historic marker is behind you. Walk back down Fourteenth Avenue South and enter the Edgehill Park on your right.