Second Avenue Historic District and Butler's Run

The portion of Second Avenue between Union Street and Broadway makes up the Second Avenue Historic District and was the early retail center of the city. Originally called Market Street, it connected the port to the city’s public square. In 1903, Market Street and other downtown streets running north-to-south were changed to a numbered naming system of avenues to encourage business growth. Today, the street boasts the best concentration of Victorian era commercial facades in the city.

As you walk down the street, take note of the cast-iron ornamentation and large hooded windows. The buildings on the left side of the street are more than 200 feet deep. The Front Street warehouses you passed earlier are connected to these storefronts. Unlike most downtown streets, there was no alley between First and Second Avenues. Imagine a street bustling with people and shops selling everything from stoves to saddles and coffee to clothes. In the late twentieth century, through adaptive reuse, the buildings along Second Avenue have entered a new era as restaurants, bars, offices, and residential housing. Even though a number of buildings were damaged by the 2010 flood, this area recovered and continues to thrive. Most of the buildings on these blocks are in the National Register of Historic Places, so keep an eye out for markers as you walk along the street.

Continue walking until you reach 138 Second Avenue North on your left. This site is known as Butler’s Run, the first mixed-use building in downtown Nashville to feature retail establishments, offices and a private residence. This 50,000 square foot structure was constructed by the H.G. Lipscomb & Co. Warehouse Company in 1892.

This wholesale warehouse business was established by Horace Greeley (H.G.) Lipscomb who married Henrie Zeller in 1874. Twelve years earlier, his half-brother David Lipscomb, had married Henrie’s sister Margaret. Yes, the two brothers married two sisters! David co-founded Nashville Bible College, today Lipscomb University, along with James Harding in 1891. The next year, H.G.’s beautiful new five-story building on Second Avenue opened for business. The hardware company relocated to Southeast Nashville in 1982.

Judy and Steve Turner purchased the H.G. Lipscomb building from R.C. Mathews in 1992, and Tuck-Hinton Architects completed building renovations in 1994. The removal of sixteen feet of the building’s width creates a narrow courtyard through the center that connects the building’s retail front on Second Avenue to Riverfront Park on First Avenue. Visit the First Avenue side to see the best remnants of the historic signage. Interiors reflect the building’s warehouse origins, particularly in the basement. Butler’s Run was a pioneering endeavor that helped inspire a new era of historic restoration and adaptive reuse in downtown Nashville. The building is named after the owners’ beloved dog, so be sure to check out the life-sized bronze memorial to “Butler.”

Continue on to Broadway. On the corner of Second and Broadway, visit the Silver Dollar Saloon located on your left. Originally the V. E. Schwab Building, this three-story brick structure features terracotta wreaths, garlands, shells, and an octagonal roof under which the main entrance is recessed. Designed by Thompson and Zwicker in 1893, it catered to riverboat men looking for a meal and place to stay. Catch a glimpse inside the storefront and you’ll see that silver dollars remain in the floor of what was once the bar. Today, the Hard Rock Cafe’s gift shop occupies the space once known as the famous Silver Dollar Saloon.

At the corner of Second Avenue North and Broadway turn RIGHT. You are now at the Broadway National Register Historic District. Follow Broadway until you intersect with Fourth Avenue. Along the way you will see Merchants Hotel, a stop on Food for Thought Tour. Turn RIGHT onto Fourth Avenue North. Walk up one block to reach Café Lula and the Ryman entrance on your left. There is a sidewalk between the building entrance and parking lot that takes you to Fifth Avenue North. Take the sidewalk with the Ryman on your left. At the corner you will see a monument to Bill Monroe and THC marker noting the Birth of Bluegrass. Continue left on Fifth and look up to see the Ryman’s original front entrance.