Riverfront Park and Front Street Warehouses

Neil Young once sang about being “Down by the River,” so we thought we’d take his lyrics literally. Rivers have inspired songwriters for generations, and his 1969 track has since been reimagined by artists like the Indigo Girls, Norah Jones, and Noel Gourdin. So, as long as we’re “down by the river,” let us tell you about the Front Street Warehouses.

You’re now walking along what was originally Water Street, later renamed Front Street, and now known as First Avenue. This long row of brick buildings is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Second Avenue Historic District. This is one of Nashville’s original streets, dating back to the first city plan, mapped out in 1784.

In the nineteenth century, this street was crowded and noisy. Not with tourists or residents but with shipping. Steamboats docked nearby to unload goods that were unpacked, sorted, and transported by horse drawn wagons. Once delivered, goods were stored inside these warehouses before being hauled uphill (or in some cases, upstairs) to shops with storefronts facing Market Street, today’s Second Avenue.

Look closely at the buildings themselves. Many feature Italianate-style arched windows on the upper floors and thick limestone foundations at street level. The wide arched openings allowed wagons to pull directly inside, making it easier to load and unload heavy cargo.

As transportation shifted in the twentieth century, railroads and trucks replaced steamboats, and many of these buildings fell into disrepair. For decades, the area struggled to find a new purpose. Beginning in the 1970s, preservationists and city leaders recognized the warehouses’ importance and chose restoration over demolition. Through adaptive reuse, the buildings were given new life as restaurants, offices, and entertainment spaces.

Today, as you look down First Avenue, you’re following the same path once taken by dockworkers, merchants, and wagon drivers. You can almost hear steamboats chugging and horse hooves clapping on the street. Now, let’s step inside one of these historic buildings. What was once a gathering place for river workers is now a gift shop, but its story begins as the Silver Dollar Saloon.

We’ll leave you with Neil Young’s haunting melody: She could drag me over the rainbow And send me away, Down by the river

From Riverfront Park, cross the street and walk to the Hard Rock Cafe gift shop at the corner of Broadway and Second Avenue North.