A surfeit of sights and sounds have emanated from Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium for more than 100 years.
The Victorian Gothic Revival brick structure, designed by architect Hugh Cathcart Thompson, was built by riverboat captain Thomas Ryman. Initially, it was a venue for the late 19th-century evangelist Sam Jones and called Union Gospel Tabernacle, but when Ryman died in 1904, the structure was renamed in his honor.
The structure boasts exceptional acoustics due to the height of the stage and the auditorium; this has been a highlight for the singers, lecturers, musicians, and others who have had their moment in the Ryman spotlight.
When The Grand Ole Opry began broadcasting out of the Ryman, its success planted the building firmly in the annals of bluegrass and country music history. With its numerous towering stained-glass windows originating from its tabernacle origins, the “Mother Church of Country Music,” as the Ryman was nicknamed, hosted up-and-coming and famous musicians until The Grand Ole Opry moved into a new facility in the mid-'70s.
The structure, about half the size of the White House, stood empty for almost 20 years. Then in 1989, an architectural firm and a general contracting firm were hired to restore the Ryman. Architectural elements, such as the gothic arches and buttresses, were repaired and polished, as were the multiple rows of church-pew-type seats. Renovations brought the structure up to date, and an addition was constructed for new offices, restrooms, concessions, a gift shop, and mechanical rooms.
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A 30-plus-year writer-journalist, Deena C. Bouknight works from her Western North Carolina mountain cottage and has contributed articles on food culture, travel, people, and more to local, regional, national, and international publications. She has written three novels, including the only historical fiction about the East Coast’s worst earthquake. Her website is DeenaBouknightWriting.com