The New Tennessee State Museum is situated around Nashville’s Bicentennial Park. This museum highlights the state’s rich history, features cutting-edge educational resources, and serves as a prominent tourist destination.
In Nashville, Tennessee, the local architectural firm EOA Architects partnered with museum designer HGA to develop an exceptional cultural facility characterized by innovative and inspiring designs.
The museum celebrates the diverse history of Tennessee’s people while revitalizing Nashville’s Bicentennial Park, creating a welcoming space for visitors of all ages. It enhances the visitor experience by engaging the public through collections, exhibitions, projects, and events aimed at educating about Tennessee’s history and significance.
The flexible exhibition spaces display priceless artifacts from Tennessee’s past and offer educational programs, lectures, and discussions. The interactive learning environment is open to teachers, students, and the general public. Thanks to strict adherence to top-tier museum facility standards, the Tennessee State Museum can also host and loan exhibits from other international public institutions.
The building comprises two exhibition halls and various planned spaces, totaling approximately 13,000 square meters. The project includes outdoor sculpture gardens, a walking path along a water feature, and a large lawn for hosting events, fulfilling the museum’s outdoor functional requirements. Additionally, the museum shares a 150-car parking lot with the nearby farmers’ market. The new facility opened its doors in October 2018.
The building’s porch and upper porch face the expansive lawn and embody Tennessee’s architectural heritage. The porch design draws inspiration from the state capitol building, pre-Civil War Southern mansions, rural churches, historic courthouses, and visible government office buildings across Tennessee, resonating deeply with local residents.
Inside the museum auditorium, a star-shaped terrazzo embedded in the floor symbolizes the three stars on the Tennessee flag, representing the state’s three distinct regions. Above, 95 lights hang from the ceiling, each representing one of Tennessee’s counties.
The design team oriented the main axis of the museum, spanning the first and second floors, toward the Tennessee State Capitol. This alignment allows one of the main entrances to open onto Bicentennial Park and the adjacent parking area. Additionally, the building’s east-west axis borders Zhongqin Small Square within the Bicentennial Memorial Park.
△ Preliminary Concept
△ General Layout Plan
The primary building material is limestone, widely used in the United States Capitol and also featured prominently in the Tennessee State Capitol. Copper, a metallic material found in neighboring state government buildings, is incorporated throughout the design. It appears on indoor and outdoor railings, exterior metal panels, and elevator doors and window frames.
Tennessee Quaker gray marble is used extensively both indoors and outdoors, establishing the building’s main aesthetic. This marble is quarried in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is featured in many iconic buildings across the United States. Locally sourced Crab Orchard gray marble from central Tennessee adorns the outdoor plaza and entrance paving. The pool’s side wall is clad in Crab Orchard bluestone, dividing the southern lawn from the walkway leading to the building.
△ Landscape Rendering
Natural light is crucial in public spaces to counteract the typically low illumination of exhibition halls. Large skylights are installed above the memorial staircase and the central circular hall. The ceiling of the lower circular hall features a design showcasing the state flower, the passion flower.
The museum store highlights the craftsmanship of Tennessee artisans by featuring their art and crafts alongside selected exhibited pieces. The store’s design incorporates materials used throughout the museum, such as terrazzo, limestone, copper, and white oak.
Design Drawings
△ Plan View
△ Sectional Perspective View – Mechanical
△ Sectional Perspective View – Construction
△ Perspective View – Architecture
Project Information
Project Type: Museum, Public Institution Facility
Location: Nashville, USA
Architectural Firms: EOA Architects, HGA
Area: 140,000 ft²
Year Completed: 2018
Photographers: Parker Studios, Seth Parker, Corey Gaffer
Suppliers: Armstrong, AutoDesk, Blumcraft, Coldspring, Cornell, Daltile, Designtex, DuPont, Ellison, GAF, Hallowell, Hollman, Hunter Douglas, J&J, Knoll, Livers Bronze, Mannington, Mecho Systems, Millwork – Allegheny Millwork, Modernfold, and 15 more
Lead Architects: Sheila Dial Barton (EOA); Nancy Blankfard (HGA)
Design Team: EOA Architects (Architect of Record); HGA (Museum Designer)
Client: The State of Tennessee
Municipal Engineer: S&ME
MEP Engineer: HGA
Structural Engineer: EMC Structural Engineers
Landscape Design: Hodgson Douglas Landscape Architects (HDLA)
Acoustic Consultant: Shen Milson Wilke (SMW)
Logo Design: McCoy Design
Exhibition Design: Gallagher & Associates
Exhibition Packaging: Design & Production (D&P)
Project Management: Compass Partners, LLC
Public Relations: Stones River Group
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