Description: Gabled facade of a 2-story red brick building with rows of lancet windows
Historical Note: In 1888, Thomas Green Ryman commissioned construction of the Union Gospel Tabernacle, a massive red brick building designed by architect Hugh Cathcart Thompson (1829-1919), so that Nashville would have an appropriate venue for the popular evangelical gatherings of the time. A balcony, added in 1897, was paid for by the United Confederate Veterans to accommodate a reunion of their members during the Tennessee Centennial Exposition (Ryman did not serve in the war). In 1904, the hall, by then used primarily for concerts and soon to become the first home of the Grand Ole Opry, was re-named the Ryman Auditorium.
Institution: Metropolitan Historical Commission, Photograph by Gary Layda
Rights: Images reproduced on this website are intended for individual, educational use only. For research inquiries about specific objects or requests for high resolution images, contact the Metropolitan Historical Commission.
Digital Publisher: Digital Initiatives, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University
