Music City Center

Nashville’s reputation as Music City is centered on country music, but the Music City Center is full of hard rock and heavy metal—literally! The building’s footprint covers six city blocks or 16 acres, with 100,000 cubic yards of structural concrete, 13,500 tons of steel rebar, and 14,000 tons of structural steel were used in its construction. Opening in May of 2013 after three years of construction, the 2.1 million square foot Music City Center was designed by Atlanta-based TVS Design and Nashville-based firms Tuck Hinton Architects and Moody-Nolan Architects. More than 15,000 people toured this ultra-modern building during its two-day Grand Opening and were treated to live music, food, and the chance to ride a zip line through the enormous Exhibit Hall.

The building is LEED Gold certified for New Construction by the U.S. Green Building Council. Key features to the building's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED certification include its four-acre green garden roof, a 360,000-gallon rainwater collector, an array of 845 solar panels, and energy efficient technology used to heat and cool the building’s interior spaces. The building’s green roof reduces rainwater runoff and helps to cool the building by deflecting heat. It also provides a natural habitat for plants, insects, and wildlife, and includes a honey bee population that helps to pollinate green spaces in the downtown core. Adjacent to the green roof is the roof over the grand ballroom that features a guitar shape and frets, which you can see from the aerial image. In fact, many architectural design elements pay homage to guitars, strings, and music in general.

Did you know the Music City Center doubles as an art gallery? Two million dollars was set aside to purchase over 100 pieces of public art that represent fifty-two artists. The art collection includes a broad spectrum of artistic media, including paintings, suspended pieces, new media, mosaics, and light works. Complimentary tours of Music City Center are offered twice a week and last an hour. Go inside to learn more.

Continue along Demonbreun Street. The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is two blocks down to your right. On your left you will see the Music City Walk of Fame, a site on the Downtown Schools and Education Tour.