East Nashville, Tennessee
East Nashville is an area east of downtown Nashville in Tennessee across the Cumberland River. The area is mostly residential and mixed-use areas with businesses lining the main boulevards. The main thoroughfares are Gallatin Ave (also known as Gallatin Pike or Gallatin Road along its course) and Ellington Parkway, with smaller arteries interconnecting the neighborhoods. Some of these smaller arteries include Main Street, Shelby Avenue, Porter Road, Riverside Drive, Eastland Avenue, McFerrrin Avenue, and Woodland Street in no significant order. Ellington Parkway, which parallels Gallatin Ave and Main Street, bypasses I-24 and I-65 and connects Briley Parkway and downtown Nashville and many other secondary streets along the way. The Cumberland River confines most of the area with a semicircle design on the south, southwest and east. Since East Nashville has no defined boundaries on the west and north the exact perimeter is the cause of some debate. Some would say that Ellington Parkway creates a boundary on the west and northwest, while Cahal Avenue and Porter Road create the northern boundary, in the confines of zipcode 37206. Many would also state that with I-65 and I-24 as the western border and Briley Parkway as the northern boundary, this defines an area that constitutes Greater East Nashville.[1] East Nashville is one of about 26 suburban neighborhoods in Nashville. [2]
History[edit]
Great Fire of 1916[edit]
On the morning of Wednesday, March 22, 1916, a fire erupted in East Nashville, destroying over 500 houses and leaving over 2,500 people homeless. The fire originated at the home of Joe Jennings, who lived next to the Seagraves Planing Mill located on North First Street. Sparks from Jennings’ home set the mill ablaze and from there the fire swept from 1st Street to Dew Street, consuming any homes and businesses in its path. Fortunately, there were few injuries and only one fatality, Johnson H. Woods, who was electrocuted by a live power line.
Today[edit]
East Nashville is an area of creative and artistic flair. It has a trendy progressive atmosphere and after ten plus years of a slow and steady rise, the neighborhood has managed to keep its eclectic, artsy vibe while welcoming a diverse mix of newcomers.[11] Like it attracted many in the late 19th century, it continues to attract young urban professionals and liberal minds because of the easy-going environment and quaint neighborhood qualities. There are many coffee shops and art galleries interwoven within the neighborhoods making it a biker's or walkers' paradise. The Tomato Art Fest is a popular summer festival in East Nashville specifically at the Five Points, where Woodland, Clearview and 11th streets intersect. There are many other festivals and fairs throughout the year also. Residential redevelopment has taken hold of the outer neighborhoods since it has been spreading from the Edgefield area and has significantly brought up home prices and more young people are calling it home.[11]
Cumberland Park took shape along the east bank of the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville. The park sits just south of Nissan Stadium, between the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge and the Gateway Bridge. The area was once a high industrial and factory based river bank that was easily accessible to ships but now parks will litter the banks on both sides of the river. The project also included renovating the former Nashville Bridge Co. building immediately adjacent to the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge. The building houses office space, concessions and public restrooms. Nashville's new riverfront development is 10 times the size of the existing Riverfront Park on the west side of the river.[12]
On December 10, 2017, Mayor Megan Barry dedicated the first historical marker in Tennessee to honor an LGBT activist, Penny Campbell, in East Nashville.[13]
Today East Nashville has three public housing projects within it: James A. Cayce, Sam Levy Homes, and Parkway Terrace. James A. Cayce, the largest housing project in Nashville, is still bricks and very dated but is now being torn down and replaced by the Envision Cayce plan. Sam Levy Homes, which was known as "Settle Court", was bricks until the early 2000s but has been replaced by updated public housing.
Future[edit]
As Nashville tries to urbanize and erase the effect of mid-century urban sprawl, East Nashville is one neighborhood that is becoming very conscious of its future. The city wants an urban environment like that of Seattle, Washington or Portland, Oregon. Nashville, along with East Nashville, is trying to set stricter building codes and design the city around pedestrians rather than cars. Along with building design and function, mass transit train system is also in the plans, which will run from the East Nashville neighborhood to midtown, just west of downtown Nashville. In "The Plan of Nashville" Gallatin Pike will be greatly affected with a complete overhaul in its function and design. In the Plan of Nashville the east bank of the Cumberland River will be greatly changed as Nissan Stadium will be surrounded by greenways and walkable streets.[14]