Parthenon Revived in Nashville
By Martha McDonald
Traditional Building
Originally published September/October 2002
On December 31, 2001, the city of Nashville celebrated the New Year and the restoration of its full-size replica of the Parthenon in Centennial Park. The replicated gryphons were flown in as part of the gala event, which also included fireworks, food, and music. Directed by Quinn Evans Architects, this $12-million restoration effort had taken almost 10 years and involved numerous skilled craftsmen and artists.
"The Parthenon in Nashville is a full-size replica of the original Parthenon in Athens,” says Ilene R. Tyler, FAIA, Quinn Evans Architects. “The difference is that the Parthenon in Greece sits on a pile of white rock, the Acropolis, and the one in Nashville is on a sloping grade, with a view of downtown."
"It’s quite timeless and beautiful,” she says, noting that the model in Nashville replicates the use of both Doric and Ionic styles seen in the original Parthenon. (The original was partially destroyed when Turkish ammunition stored there blew up, and most of the statues were moved to the British Museum.) “The Athens Parthenon was built over a period of about 10 years under Pericles, who brought together the best architect and sculptor of the time,” Tyler notes. “Because it evolved over a period of time, it incorporated both styles. It was built at the threshold of this high style of architecture."
The New Year’s Eve festivities were a milestone for a monument with a long history. Originally built in 1897 to celebrate Nashville’s centennial, it served as the centerpiece of the exposition in an area that became known as Centennial Park. While the exterior of the structure was true to the original Parthenon in Greece, the interior served as an art museum.
Most of the buildings constructed for the centennial celebration were destroyed, but the Parthenon found a place in the hearts of the residents of Nashville and was kept. During the 1920s, Nashville’s Park Board decided to reconstruct the Parthenon using materials more permanent than the original plaster. The sculptures were recast, and the building was rebuilt to the exact dimensions of the original Parthenon, including the taper of the columns and the spacing between them.
To recreate the color and texture of Nashville’s original Parthenon, which was made of Pentelic marble, the builders of the 1920s turned to a recently patented process created by John J. Earley. Known as “the man who made concrete beautiful,” he created a mixture that combines cement and aggregates and then washes away some of the cement to expose the aggregates. A buff-colored aggregate from the Potomac River called “Nutty Pebble” was mixed with Portland cement and sand to match the original marble as closely as possible.
The exterior was completed in 1926 and the interior in 1931. The John J. Earley mix was used throughout, including on the columns. At this time, the interior was changed to replicate the original Parthenon, with two rooms, the 93-x-63-ft. Naos, which houses the statue of Athena and the 44-x-63-ft. west room, known as the Treasury Room. The art museum was moved to the lower level. Additional renovations during the 1980s created an entry to the lower-level art museum directly from the park, and added a gift shop, offices, and restrooms to the museum level.
Over the years, however, Nashville’s Parthenon had been slowly deteriorating. The roof leaked, and birds had settled all over the sculptures. A number of overhanging pieces on the soffit had deteriorated to the point of being a danger to the public. Wire mesh held several statues together. In addition, the aggregate was washing off and blocking the drain.
"It became imperative to do something,” says Tyler. The restoration actually began in the 1980s when a number of concerned groups began conducting studies. The founders of Quinn Evans were involved in these original studies. In 1993, Nashville’s Metro Parks contracted with Quinn Evans Architects to direct the restoration of the exterior. The firm’s methodology including reviewing the Parthenon literature and past studies on the condition of the building, a survey of existing conditions, and laboratory testing of material samples.
"The first phase was to repair the roof,” says Tyler. “We had to keep the water out and protect the building.” The roof tiles, which were made of the John J. Earley mix, were recast; gutters and flashing were replaced.
Phase II of the restoration involved testing procedures and materials that would go into the Contract Documents. “This step is crucial to quality assurance in the finished work,” says Tyler.
Phase III began in 1994 when the scaffolding went up on the East pediment and entablature and continued around the west, north, and south sides until completion of the project in 2001. The team developed construction details, including full specifications on the concrete mixes, cleaning materials and procedures for the East pediment. “We reproduced the Earley technique,” says Tyler, “removing the form and brushing the surface. The Earley mix is cast in molds from 2 to 8 in. thick,” she says. “It’s not a coating. Many of the pieces were prefabricated and then attached to the building. Stainless steel was used to attach and reinforce the pieces and to provide a better ability to resist corrosion."
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The
Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee
The West pediment after repairs (top), workmen reset the recast Hebe (above left), and a detail of the East pediment (above right). Restoration photography by Gary Layda.
Dr. George Kreier of Philadelphia directed the recasting of the statues (approximately 40-50 elements on each pediment and another 40-50 from the entablature), and the running molds and repetitive cast elements were recreated by J.B. & Sons of New Jersey. “There must have been hundreds of pieces of running mold,” says Tyler. “We replaced certain bands, such as the taenia under the entablature around the entire perimeter of the building, and did spot repairs elsewhere, for example, on the mutules under the cornice and the architrave."
As they were finished, the pieces were delivered to Nashville for the team’s monthly inspection meetings before they were attached to the building. “The craftsmanship was amazing,” says Tyler.
Another problem was keeping the pigeons away. A black nylon mesh was suspended on stainless-steel prongs so it was taut and did not touch the elements. “It became almost invisible,” Tyler notes, “but it had to project from the building because of the sculpture."
The decorative-painting scheme in the peristyle was also in need of repair. After researching the colors of the original Parthenon in Greece and creating detailed drawings for a color placement, Quinn Evans worked with EverGreene Painting Studios of New York City to remove the existing paint and repaint the entire soffit and entablature of the peristyle in a rich palette of red and blue that complements the Earley concrete.
Quinn Evans decided to leave lightning protection to chance, realizing that it was less expensive to replace one of the gryphons than to install lightning protection equipment, which can also be unsightly. “The building has been struck by lightning,” says Tyler, “and it could happen again. So the gryphons are sacrificial lambs."
During the early stages of the exterior restoration, the 42-ft. statue of Athena in the Naos room was recreated. Originally sculpted by Pheidias of gold plates and ivory on a wood framework, the original Greek statue disappeared around 400 A.D. The replica was created in 1990 by sculptor Alan LeQuire of Nashville, using fiberglass-reinforced gypsum plaster. The statue is currently being gilded to match the original, and painted to match the ivory portions.
Led by LeQuire and Lou Reed, a gilding expert, a team of gilders and painters transformed the once-white statue of Athena into a gold and ivory beauty during the summer of 2002. The project required 65,000 leaves of 23-3/4-karat gold to cover the robe and accessories. Three coats of shellac were applied before the gilding.
Athena’s skin was painted by LeQuire and his assistants to resemble the ivory on the original sculpture. The lips and cheeks were rouged in the Greek style, and the eyes were painted a blue-gray. The final painting depicted the battle of the Titans and the Olympians on the inside of Athena’s shield.
Nashville’s Parthenon is now ready for the next phase of its life. “With monitoring, it should last at least another 100 years,” says Tyler.
"Now that the fencing and scaffolding are down, attendance is bouncing back. It’s up 20,000 for the year,” says Wesley Paine, director of the museum. “We are thrilled with the response. The Parthenon is viewed by many people as the symbol of the city. The renovation took a long time, and was carefully done. Everyone was more concerned about doing it right, rather than doing it fast."