ABOUT US
A Note from Our President
The Parthenon and Centennial Park have been essential parts of Nashville for more than a century. Centennial Park Conservancy partners with Metro Parks to preserve and enhance these two Nashville treasures while presenting accessible and inclusive programming to share them with our community and visitors.
Through the generosity of our members, donors, sponsors, and partners, we fund art exhibits and engaging lectures in the Parthenon museum. We provide access to free community music events and showcase artists at Musicians Corner. We support families by presenting free children’s programming through Kidsville. We inspire positive environmental change at Nashville Earth Day, the city’s official Earth Day celebration. We help maintain the Park and preserve our city’s landmark Parthenon through the Centennial Park Maintenance Fund and Parthenon Preservation Fund. We help to invest in Nashville’s future by preserving and revitalizing 132-acres of urban green space through the Centennial Park Revitalization.
We invite you to join us in making a positive impact on our community.
John Tumminello
Organization Overview
Centennial Park Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in partnership with Nashville’s Metro Parks to support Centennial Park and the Parthenon. The organization underwrites and presents a variety of enriching programs that make a widespread imprint on the Nashville community and our visitors. Key programs include Nashville Parthenon exhibition and educational initiatives, Musicians Corner, Kidsville, and Nashville Earth Day. Centennial Park Conservancy is also partnering with Metro Parks on the Centennial Park Revitalization, a multi-phase transformation of the park that will preserve and enhance Nashville’s central park to better serve current and future generations.
Our History
Centennial Park Conservancy has experienced significant growth and name changes in the past 35 years. The organization began in 1985 as the Athena Fund Foundation when nickels and dimes were collected by school children and adult visitors to pay for the creation of the statue Athena inside the Parthenon. Upon completion of this project in 1989, the group became the Parthenon Patrons Foundation with a focus on supporting Nashville’s landmark museum.
In 2005, the organization's mission and scope was expanded to include Centennial Park, and underwent a name change to Friends of Centennial Park and the Parthenon. Then in 2009, the non-profit was once again renamed as The Conservancy for the Parthenon and Centennial Park.
The organization significantly expanded in 2010 with the introduction of Musicians Corner, Kidsville, and the Centennial Park Master Plan. The first phase of park improvements focused on Cockrill Spring, Lake Watauga, and Musicians Corner and was completed in 2017. In an effort to focus more on the park as a whole, the organization simplified its name in 2019 and changed it to Centennial Park Conservancy.
Centennial Park Conservancy began managing Nashville Earth Day in 2020 and introduced the Centennial Park Maintenance Fund to focus more on helping Metro Parks maintain the park for our community. In 2021, the Parthenon Preservation Fund was created to provide more support and care for Nashville’s iconic landmark and the second phase of park improvements focused on the Great Lawn was completed. Centennial Park Conservancy is currently fundraising for improvements to the Park Plaza side of the park, including increasing park access from the 31st Avenue Connector and construction of an Event Pavilion. This phase is expected to be completed by 2024.
Our Mission
Centennial Park Conservancy sustains the vibrancy of Nashville’s Centennial Park, home to the historic Parthenon, by supporting Metro Parks in revitalizing and activating this public green space to ensure the park remains a welcoming destination for recreation, culture, education, and community connection for all.
Our Programs
Centennial Park Conservancy enriches our community by funding Parthenon exhibitions and free access to arts and educational activities in the park and Parthenon. Through the ongoing generosity of individual, corporate, and foundation partners, we underwrite and present a variety of programs, including:
THE NASHVILLE PARTHENON
We support the Parthenon by funding a curated series of relevant historical and artistic exhibits as well as lectures that encourage productive social discourse. We also support the Parthenon Docent program and Architecture Tours, while presenting the ECHO Chamber Music series and Kidsville educational programs in the museum.
MUSICIANS CORNER
Since 2010, Musicians Corner has presented over 1,500 emerging, established, and legendary artists at 150 free events in Centennial Park, with an annual attendance of over 75,000 people.
KIDSVILLE
We support families by connecting over 10,000 children annually to free and enriching opportunities for growth through education, experience, and exploration.
NASHVILLE EARTH DAY
We present Nashville’s annual event that takes place in Centennial Park every April and brings the Nashville community together to celebrate our planet, inspire positive environmental change, and support sustainable small businesses & nonprofits.
ECHO
ECHO is an engaging music series that features new chamber music composed and arranged for the unique reverb of the Parthenon Naos and performed in front of the 42-foot statue of Athena.
Centennial Park Revitalization
The Centennial Park Master Plan was developed by Centennial Park Conservancy and Metro Nashville in 2010 to restore, renovate, and revitalize Nashville's central park. Through a public-private partnership, two phases of improvements totaling $21M have already been completed and the $4M Park Plaza/Event Pavilion Phase is currently underway. The Centennial Park Capital Campaign brings the Nashville community together to support this ambitious initiative to sustain our people's park for future generations.
A MESSAGE ABOUT RACE AND EQUALITY
June 2020
We mourn the senseless murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black Americans. Black Lives Matter, and we condemn racism while recognizing the grief and pain the Black community has faced and is still experiencing.
Uncomfortable truths exist in the history of the public land we support, including the inequality of segregation that prevented Nashville’s Black community from accessing Centennial Park for decades. While Centennial Park Conservancy promotes inclusivity, we recognize there is more that can be done.
We will continue to foster discussions around race, justice, and equality in our educational programs. We will broaden programming that showcases artists of color. We will promote local businesses owned by people of color. We will partner with community organizations focused on enacting positive social change. We will continue to prioritize a board, staff, volunteers, and interns that reflect the diversity of our community. Above all else, we are committed to working with our partners at Metro Parks to ensure that Centennial Park is now and forever a gathering space welcoming to all.
Show your support for the Park & Parthenon as a Centennial Park Conservancy Member
Centennial Park and the iconic Parthenon are Nashville Treasures. Your membership helps protect and enhance Centennial Park’s green space for all who live and visit here, support the Nashville Parthenon - a cultural centerpiece of our community, and provide free access to arts and educational programming for our entire community.