Music Row Named ‘National Treasure’

The National Trust For Historic Preservation announced yesterday the addition of Nashville’s Music Row as an official National Treasure. The organization defines a National Treasure as places which have made a significant contribution to our nations history and face imminent danger of being lost forever. Sorry if you were expecting an article on Nicolas Cage.

Preservation has been a hot button issue among Nashville purists for decades. The rise in popularity of our fair city brings new tourism, eclectic restaurant and bar choices, the latest urban innovation(i.e., ridesharing and luxury hotels), and ultimately more jobs. But as we know, progress has it’s downsides. In fact, to some, progress in itself is a downside.

Just weeks ago the iconic Fiddle&Steel bar in the Printer’s Alley district of downtown was closed to make room for development. Earlier last year we came very close to losing the historic RCA Studio A. They were going to knock down the building Elvis recorded in. Elvis! Nashville has an irrefutable draw because of it’s history. At what point do we get rid of so much of that history, we lose what makes us…well, us?

I am an advocate of change and progress if it is conducive to the quality of life for the community. Not the just the quality of corporate wallets. Seeing Music Row thrive is exciting and beneficial to all Nashvillians, music industry or other, but if we continue losing iconic landmarks at this rate I fear the city is at risk of people forgetting why they wanted to move here in the first place.

Would we implode the Empire State Building if it stopped making money? Demolish the Gateway Arch to put up condos? Burn Hemingway’s house for beachfront property? Untangle the World’s Largest Ball of Twine, shall we? I dare say we shall not!

The National Trust has taken a great step in preserving Nashville heritage. “Music Row is the very definition of a National Treasure. The sounds created here have echoed throughout the country for decades,” says National Trust executive vice president David J. Brown.

It is nice to have someone in Nashville’s corner.  Music fans worldwide deserve to see unequivocal entertainment, record in legendary studios, and have the opportunity to indulge their alcoholism in the same bars as their heroes.

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