Filming Station

Although it doesn’t predate Cannery Row, the Filming Station is one of the most authentic buildings in the Gulch neighborhood. Located on Eighth Avenue South, the building’s original purpose was humble enough—opening as a Gulf gas station in 1935. In 1951, it became the first Volvo dealership in Nashville, and in the last thirty years it has had its share of occupants—from a soul-food restaurant to a beauty parlor. Now the building, known as the Filming Station, pays homage to its automobile roots and features an office, studio space, theater, and small entertainment venue.

Owner Demetria Kalodimos repurposed the building while maintaining its historical integrity. Awarded a Nashville Historical Foundation Preservation Award in 2014, Kalodimos preserved the original stucco structure while building an addition that was constructed with 20,000 bricks from a demolished warehouse next door. She also used forty Plywood theater seats from local a Masonic lodge along with old car parts and used chrome to make door pulls, light fixtures, and other trim pieces. Other quirky decorations include panels off a Wurlitzer jukebox in the screening room, a lighting grid rigged from garage bay struts, and boat upholstery as furniture covers. Kalodimos uses the office and studio space for Genuine Human Productions, her documentary and production company. The Filming Station has been called the "Swiss Army Knife" of event spaces, and its repurposed interior filled with salvaged pieces continues to inspire all who enter its doors. The result, according to the Nashville Arts Magazine, is a “one-of-a-kind blend of the old, the new, and the reused.”

Continue in the same direction along Lea Avenue until you reach a three-way intersection marked by a stop sign. Veer to the RIGHT to walk down Tenth Avenue South towards Cummins Station.