Dream Hotel/ Utopia Hotel and Climax Saloon

Former Metro Planning Director Doug Sloan praised Dream Nashville’s developers for connecting the property's past with the local history. According to Sloan: “[I]t creates a space and place in our community that has a story behind it. . . . We don’t need more buildings in Nashville, we need architecture and we need to preserve our history.” After decades of neglect followed by years of renovation, the Utopia Hotel and Climax Saloon buildings reopened at the end of 2018 as Dream Nashville—an upscale boutique hotel. The developers were able to fully restore the Utopia Hotel and saved all of the facades of the Ember’s building. 

On the left side of the Dream Nashville complex is the former Utopia Hotel, which opened in 1891. This narrow six-story masonry building features Romanesque Revival architecture. It is one of surviving commercial stone buildings built in this style. The Utopia was designed by architect Hugh Cathcart Thompson, the same man who designed the Ryman. On the right side of the Dream Nashville complex is the Ember’s Building, which was completed in 1887. For many years, it was the site of a bar, gambling hall, and brothel known as Climax Saloon. 

Both buildings were part of the Men’s Quarter located along Cherry Street, which is now Fourth Avenue North, and Printers Alley. White businessmen, politicians, and other working-class men frequented these establishments. Both the Utopia Hotel and the Climax Saloon are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information please see our Seedy Side and Printers Alley Tour. 

As noted in the Tennessean in March 2019: “The 168-room Dream Nashville hotel is downtown's newest lodging option, but it's just as much a dining destination with everything from a trendy, California-inspired cafe to a speakeasy-style nightlife venue.” The hotel features six restaurants and bars: Stateside Kitchen, Parlour Bar, Dirty Little Secret, Snitch, Easy 8, and Natura Nashville. The Stateside Kitchen is a chef-driven, full-service restaurant with a light an airy atmosphere topped by a glass arcade-style roof. Head over the Parlour Bar to have a cocktail and some cheese popcorn. Or try out Dirty Little Secret if you’d like to dance. Look for the speakeasy-style entrance—a nod to the building’s seedy past. The lounge-like atmosphere at Snitch often comes with live piano and music. Just want a sandwich or coffee? Head to Easy 8 or Natura Nashville. In other words, there is a food or drink option for everyone at Dream Nashville.

From the Dream Hotel, continue walking down Fourth Avenue. Half-way through the block, you will approach Bank Alley on your right, marked by a Wells Fargo Bank sign. Turn RIGHT into the alley, taking the sidewalk on the left side. You will see a sign for Skull’s Rainbow Room directly ahead, marking your next stop.