Woolworth on 5th and Nashville Sit-Ins

Here we are at Woolworth on 5th—and we’d like to start by telling you the story of Cortelia Clark. Clark moved to Nashville as a teenager in the 1940s to work in a broom factory. He learned to play guitar, but sadly lost his eyesight during an operation in the 1950s. Clark began performing for crowds as they lined up outside downtown theaters. He ultimately landed a regular spot in front of Woolworth busking, or playing for tips. 

Growing up, Mike Weesner often accompanied his mother when she went shopping downtown. He recalled seeing and hearing Clark, whom Weesner described as a “blind Black bluesman.” As a young adult, Mike Weesner set out to join the booming music industry. After establishing a small music publishing firm, he asked Cortelia Clark to make a sample record. Once the single was cut, Weesner shared the recording with Felton Jarvis. Jarvis, who was Elvis Presley’s producer, agreed to record the street musician. 

After recording the album, Cortelia Clark won a Grammy award for his first and only album, Blues in the Street in 1967. He won in the folk category over music greats such as Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. Just two years later, Clark died on Christmas Eve in 1969 after a fire at his home on Jefferson Street. Songwriter Mickey Newbury penned a song in his name to pay tribute to the extraordinary life of the blues singer. 

So what about the building you see here today? The Woolworth building was completed in the 1890s and was home to many businesses before F.W. Woolworth opened a “five and dime” store here in 1913. Twelve years later, Woolworth opened a lunch counter inside the store—a precursor to the modern-day food court. At a time when Jim Crow laws dominated the South, African Americans were allowed to shop in the store but were barred from eating at Woolworth’s lunch counters. In 1960, African American students in Nashville began peaceful sit-ins at local businesses, including Woolworth, to challenge the decades-old practice of segregation. 

The sit-in movement’s first major event took place on February 13, 1960. Three different groups of students from Fisk University, American Baptist College, Meharry Medical College, and Tennessee State University, sat at downtown lunch counters at several department stores along Church Street and Fifth Avenue North including:Woolworth, Kress, and McClellan. They were denied service and were verbally abused. Just a few days later, on February 27th, the movement drew over 200 protesters to the lunch counters, leading to several arrests and national media buzz. Among those arrested was Civil Rights icon John Lewis, who protested right here at Woolworth. Lewis would be arrested almost 50 times throughout his career in the battle against segregation and racism, but the arrest at the Woolworth was his very first. For more take our Civil Rights Sit-Ins tour on Nashville Sites. 

This building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Fifth Avenue Historic District designated for its pivotal role in the Civil Rights movement. Today, Woolworth on 5^th is a historically themed restaurant with the original terrazzo floors and iron railings. For more on its architecture and menu take our Capitol and Church Architecture or Food for Thought tours. 

Facing Woolworth’s, turn LEFT and walk a few steps down 5th Ave. toward Church Street. Stop when you see the historical marker for Sarah Estell on your right.