Peafowl Theater

You’ve arrived at one of Nashville’s earliest movie houses—though you’d never guess it from the outside. Nestled in Germantown, this unassuming building once echoed with piano music, the flicker of silent films, and the ringing bells of a boxing ring. From 1918 to 1926, the Peafowl Theater offered a lively neighborhood escape, part of a boom that turned moviegoing into America’s favorite pastime.

At the time, Germantown was a thriving, walkable neighborhood built by waves of German and other European immigrants who settled here in the mid-1800s. They brought with them their language, customs, and a love for community spaces—beer gardens, bakeries, and local gathering spots like this one. The Peafowl, with its 600 seats and five-cent admission, fit right in—offering affordable entertainment for working class Nashvillians.

The Peafowl showed silent films accompanied by live piano and often included vaudeville-style acts on stage. Neighborhood kids scrambled for front-row seats, while adults gathered for romance, slapstick comedy, and a break from the everyday. One of its young managers, Otto Friedmann, grew up just blocks away. He was the nephew of property owner Robert Haury, who also operated a beer garden near Third Avenue and Madison Street. Otto’s brother, Robert, holds a delicious local claim to fame: around 1905, he became Nashville’s first vendor to serve ice cream in a waffle cone—for just a penny apiece.

By 1929, the Peafowl had been converted into the North Nashville Athletic Club, hosting weekly boxing and wrestling matches under promoter Dick Lever. By the 1940s, it was repurposed as the headquarters of the Outdoor Display Advertising Company, and between 1980 and 2014 the building housed the John O. Hill Co.

Today, the building is home to Little Hats, a cozy Italian market and sandwich shop. Step inside and look down to see the original green mosaic tile entryway—a subtle but beautiful reminder of the neighborhood’s first theater. You can also catch a glance of the building–and the beautiful mosaic tile–in the Amazon Prime crime drama television show Scarpetta, filmed across Nashville throughout 2024 and 2025.

Ok, you may want to pause these directions as you go along. We apologize in advance for the length, but we’re taking the scenic route to the next stop. Return to Jefferson Street, heading west towards Rosa L. Parks Blvd (8th Ave N). Turn RIGHT onto Rosa Parks. You’ll stay on this road for about 4 miles and the name will transition from Rosa Parks to Ed Temple Blvd. You’ll see the Ted Rhodes Golf Course on your right as you drive. Learn more about both Ed Temple and Ted Rhodes on our North Nashville Community Leaders tour. 

Once you reach Walter Davis Jr. Blvd, turn RIGHT. You’ll drive along the northern boundary of Tennessee State University. On your left you can see a statue honoring the school’s many Olympians. To learn more, take our TSU or Women’s Sports History tours. Walter Davis Blvd. will turn into Centennial Blvd. Stay straight for about 2.5 miles until you reach 6404 Centennial Blvd. 

You’ll see the State Prison in front of you. Pull to the side of the road at Bomar Blvd. and park near the Cockrill Springs or the State Prison historical markers. Warning: If you cross the railroad tracks to get closer to the prison, someone from the Department of Corrections will come to talk to you!