Geddes Engine Company and Litterer Laboratory

The James Geddes Engine Company No. 6 was constructed in 1886, to serve the growing residential areas of Rutledge Hill and Black Bottom, the neighborhood just north of here. The fire department operated out of this building from 1887 until 1967. In the 1880s, the fire department used horse-drawn vehicles, which were stored inside the large wooden doors of this building. The horse stables were behind the building, and the adjacent empty lot was the horse corral. The second floor featured the sleeping quarters, kitchen, dining room, and rec room. Walk over to the tower on the right side and peek in the window to see the original fireman’s pole. This building is Nashville’s only remaining fire hall built specifically for horse-drawn vehicles. There are several original features still intact including the concrete block floors, brick walls, and front doors. The fire station was named for James Geddes, a civil engineer and surveyor for the Louisville and Nashville rail line from the 1850s to early 1900s. Nashville’s modern fire department headquarters is located at the northern end of Middleton Street, which you can see as you walk to the next stop.

Next to the Geddes Fire Hall is the Litterer Laboratory Building, completed in 1896 for the University of Nashville Medical School. The university campus was across the street, where the Howard School/Metro Office Complex stands now. In 1909, the University of Nashville’s medical school merged with the University of Tennessee, which moved the medical school to Memphis. In 1915, former Nashville Mayor William Litterer, purchased this building and donated it to Vanderbilt University in honor of his nephew, who was a noted pathologist and Vanderbilt professor. During World War I, the Litterer Labs served as a site for chemical weapons research and development, led by Dr. Litterer, who also served as the State Bacteriologist for the Tennessee Board of Health.

In 1925, Vanderbilt closed its downtown location, including the Litterer Laboratory. Over the last century, the building has housed a hardware store, restaurant, and other businesses. In fall 2019, the building returned to its educational roots when Templeton Academy opened as a private high school.

Facing the lab and firehouse, turn to your left and take an immediate RIGHT onto Elm Street. Continue west down Elm Street for three blocks. You will see our next stop as you walk, Elm Street Methodist Church. When you reach Fifth Ave. South turn RIGHT. The front of this former church will be on your immediate right.

At the intersection of Elm and Fourth Avenue South you’ll pass by a two-story brick building on your left. Now a cigar bar, this 1890s commercial building was a drugstore at the turn of the twentieth century, one of many in this area because of the nearby medical school. It is one of the few remaining commercial buildings in this area from the New South era.