Music City Center
The project gained momentum after Karl Dean was elected Mayor in September 2007. Dean announced early on that one of his priorities was seeing the construction of a new downtown convention center come to fruition. The Music City Center Coalition was formed by business leaders, grassroots community activists, and many Nashville residents to support the project. In January 2010, the Metropolitan Council of Nashville voted to approve construction of the Music City Center and the official groundbreaking for the center was held on March 22, 2010. It was decided that the convention center would be built in the new SoBro neighborhood, south of Broadway and right in the heart of downtown. The area was known as Black Bottom until the 1950s, nicknamed because of periodic river floods that left muddy residue on the streets.
In May 2013, the building was opened to the public during a two day Grand Opening celebration. Over 15,000 people toured the building and activities included live music, great food, and a zip line through the Exhibit Hall. Since then, the building has been filled, with great events such as CMA Fest’s Fan Fair X and the Music City Sports Festival.
201 Fifth Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203
Nashville, TN 37203
615-401-1400