A postcard showing an aerial view of the Tennessee State University campus between 1930 and 1945. At the time, the university was known as Tennessee A&I College. Memorial Library (now the Harold M. Love S., Student Success Center) is located near the center, directly across from the Administrative Building (now the Walter S. Davis Humanities Building.) To the right of the Administrative Building is a recreational space, now occupied by Holland Hall and Crouch Hall. Image courtesy of Nashville Public Library.

Legendary TSU track coach Ed Temple (center) with 6 Tigerbelles who qualified for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia: (left to right) Mae Faggs, Lucinda Williams, Isabelle Daniels, Temple, Wilma Rudolph, Margaret Mathews, and Willie White. Image courtesy of TSU Special Collections.

Gold, silver, and bronze statue representing the many TSU Olympic athletes. The running figure carries a torch in one hand and a diploma in the other. Image courtesy of Sydney Whitten.

The front facade of the Strange Performing Arts Center with its distinctive piano key appearance, 2019. Image courtesy of Sydney Whitten.

The Harold Love Building, formerly Memorial Library. Image courtesy of MHCF.

A postcard showing an aerial view of the Tennessee State University campus between 1930 and 1945. At the time, the university was known as Tennessee A&I College. Memorial Library (now the Harold M. Love S., Student Success Center) is located near the center, directly across from the Administrative Building (now the Walter S. Davis Humanities Building.) To the right of the Administrative Building is a recreational space, now occupied by Holland Hall and Crouch Hall. Image courtesy of Nashville Public Library.

Tennessee State University

1 hr 30 min 1.3 mi 18 stops

Welcome to the Tennessee State University tour on Nashville Sites. This tour will take you through one of Nashville’s most historic college campuses. Today’s Tennessee State University opened its doors with 230 students on June 19, 1912 as the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School for Negroes. It was the first public school funded by the state of Tennessee, which came out of the General Education Bill of 1909. The school was located next to Hadley Park—the first park in America created exclusively for African Americans.

We must be careful to remember that much of what you see and hear on this tour—from the names that appear on the buildings to stories of the struggle for equality and full citizenship—occurred against a backdrop of segregation and racial discrimination throughout the twentieth century. It was also one of the epicenters of student activism during the Civil Rights movement. During its early years, Tennessee A&I students completed most of the manual labor needed to support the school. Students cleaned the dormitories and buildings, maintained the grounds, raised vegetables, baked bread, did laundry, and helped with daily operations. In 1968, the school changed its name to Tennessee State University. From a vocational school to a teacher-training school to a college to a university, Tennessee State University remains the only state-funded historically Black university in Tennessee.

Today’s Tennessee State University has approximately 7,000 students and offers 38 bachelor’s degrees, 24 master’s degrees, and 7 doctoral degrees. On this Nashville Sites tour, you will learn about many of the school’s students, athletes, faculty, administrators, and alumni. Hi, my name is Dr. Lea Williams, and I am Associate Professor of African American history at Tennessee State University.

This tour begins under the fighter jet beside Kean Hall on 33^rd Avenue North. You should park at the visitors lot across the street. Now let’s begin our tour of this historic HBCU campus and its relationship to Nashville.

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Tour Stops

Kean Hall