Nashville: Music Row, Belmont Mansion, Vanderbilt Univ. - Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Today, we again started our Volksmarch at Comfort Inn Music Row on Demonbreun Street, but today we went 11k in the opposite direction. We passed by the gorgeous "Musica" sculpture which you can see in yesterday's blog.

Music Row started here when Owen Bradley opened the Quonset Hut, the first recording studio in Nashville, in 1955. Chet Atkins followed suit in 1957 when he opened RCA's studio.

History of Music Row in Nashville. 

Sculpture of Owen Bradley in Owen Bradley Park.

Most of the major record labels now have offices here including Warner Brothers, Capitol, Columbia, Decca, Epic, and Curb. Some of their offices are quite nice.

RCA Victor - Studio B

RCA Victor - Studio A

Not only did we find many music recording studios on this walk, but we also went past or through some colleges. The University School of Nashville has a confusing history and I'm not sure what it was all about, but apparently, it still exists as a day school.

Next, we entered the grounds of Vanderbilt University which is huge! The first part of Vanderbilt we visited included the medical buildings. 

Vanderbilt University pedestrian bridge.

Vanderbilt Medical Center East.

We passed through Hillsboro Village on our way to Belmont University (which previously was Ward-Belmont College (1913-1951). The main goal of this part of our walk was the illustrious Belmont Manson, a true southern showpiece.

Hillsboro Village mural.

Another Hillsboro Village mural with a musical flair.

Belmond Mansion (the back of it).

Belmont Mansion from the front.

One of the halls at Belmont University.

A sculpture of Minerva.

Below is the old water pump tower at Belmont University which has been converted to a carillon bell tower.

The former water pump tower.

Lenten rose in full bloom.

From Belmont University we made our way back through Hillsboro Village which has a bohemian vibe. 

Mural of "The Dragon."

One of the highlights on this part of our walk was Fanny Mae Dees Park with a sea serpent (AKA "The Dragon"). The sea serpent is made up of multiple vignettes of tile art. Look closely along its "spine" and you will find unicorns, sailing ships, Dolly Parton, stars, and so much more. It was fun to check it out. (Tip: If you're doing this Volksmarch, there is a restroom at the Fanny Mae Dees Park behind the playground on the school side.)

Info about the Sea Serpent.

The Sea Serpent.

See how big this thing is?

Look for different faces in the serpent.

Cowboy?

Unicorns and a comet.

Bob hiding behind the serpent's face.

After checking out the serpent, relaxing, and a bathroom break, we continued back to the Vanderbilt University campus.

We passed by Vanderbilt Stadium, a fraternity house, and back out the other side of the campus. From there we crossed a very busy street and proceeded to Centennial Park, home of the full-size Parthenon replica.

Vanderbilt University fraternity house -
sigma alpha epsilon.

A full-scale replica of The Parthenon.

A Centennial Expo was held at this park in 1897. Also in the park is a great monument dedicated to John Thomas, commemorating 48 years of service to the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway. There are other memorials and monuments, as well as multiple historical markers scattered around this park. The two things we did not find that were mentioned on our walk instructions (and to be used as a checkpoint answer) were a train engine and an airplane. They just weren't there!

John Thomas memorial.

You can see references to the railroad
in this bas-relief.

The Parthenon (look at the detail in the pediment).

Below is apparently where the train engine used to live. It has disappeared!

No train found here!

We did find this reference to the train--NC&StL
(Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis line).

Detail at the top of The Parthenon.

Another view of The Parthenon.

Several suffrage rallies were held in Centennial Park in the 1910s. Suffragists would walk from the state capital to Centennial Park and give speeches to thousands to garner support for the 19th amendment's eventual passage in 1920.

A sculpture of suffrage rallies in Centennial Park.

The pretty pond in Centennial Park.

After skirting around the outside edges of Vanderbilt University, we finally got to see the beautiful campus. It is an oasis from all the hubbub on the main streets surrounding it.

Kirkland Hall

Another view of Kirkland Hall.

Furman Hall.

School of Mechanical Engineering.

Entry to School of
Mechanical Engineering.

From Vanderbilt, we headed back through Music Row to the finish. What we noticed on Music Row is that record studios put out congratulatory "ads" to their singers. 

We also found BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), the organization that collects performance royalties for songwriters and music publishers in all genres of music. They are headquartered here. This office played a key role in establishing Nashville as Music City, U.S.A.

We were back at the Seven Points COE campground in time for sunset. I caught Bob hanging out by the reservoir.

Just past sunset.

Bob in silhouette.

That evening our next door neighbors, Ralph and Cathy, invited us over to their campfire. We spent a couple of hours chatting with them. Ralph played us a tune on his guitar. It was enjoyable to learn about their travels and their life in Toronto, Ontario.

Ralph & Cathy's campfire.

Bob and I at Ralph & Cathy's site.

And that's how our Wednesday went. Tomorrow, we will do Nashville's Eastside Walk.