The view of the Parthenon from Centennial Park's playground is stunning, and it's free! ... The museum is funded through admissions, gifts, and grants....
The Parthenon at Nashville's Centennial Park is a full-scale copy of the ancient Parthenon in Athens. It was erected in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition and designed by architect William Crawford Smith. The original sculpture on the Parthenon was replaced after being destroyed by an arson fire in 1877.
The central portion of the building is made up of four columns supporting a triangular pediment. The entire structure is covered with marble from Greece, Turkey, and America. The total cost of the building was $150,000 ($1.5 million in today's dollars).
Centennial Park is a public park located in downtown Nashville. The Parthenon is one of the city's most popular attractions, drawing thousands of visitors each year. It is best known for its neoclassical design and scale model of the temple of Athena Parthenos in Athens, Greece.
The building was built as a monument to the centennial anniversary of the state of Tennessee. It was also meant to attract tourists to the fair. The annual Nashville Music Festival is held in nearby Centennial Park during which time the Parthenon is open for viewing.
Nashville has many other buildings that were constructed using materials taken from the demolished city of Atlanta including the Peabody Hotel, Equitable Building, and Hermitage Hotel.
The Parthenon at Nashville's Centennial Park is a full-scale copy of the real Parthenon in Athens... The Parthenon (Nashville)
The Parthenon | |
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Built | 1897 (original structure) 1925–1931 (permanent version) |
Architect | William Crawford Smith |
Architectural style | Classical |
NRHP reference No. | 72001236 |
The Parthenon is the Acropolis' focal point. You are not permitted to step on the Parthenon, however you are permitted to stroll around its whole perimeter. There are information boards near some of the major attractions that describe their historical and architectural significance.
You can take photos inside the temple, but not of the sculptures themselves. If you want to photograph a particular piece, ask permission first. Some of the more famous statues within the temple include the Nike of Athens by Pheidias and the Laocoön Group by Phidias. Both pieces are housed in the Vatican Museum in Rome.
The temple was built between 447 and 432 BC by the Athenians under the guidance of Pericles. It was originally crowned with an ivory statue of Athena called the "Trialaxiomos" (or "Goddess with the Helm"). This had been destroyed during the Turkish invasion of 1687. The British burned the temple down in 1786 because they thought it would be a good idea at the time; unfortunately, they weren't able to save any of the sculpture.
The Parthenon is a marble temple dedicated to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. It is situated on a hill with a panoramic view of Athens. This location was chosen to demonstrate the temple's authority and to bring the temple closer to Athena and the gods. The building itself is divided into four parts: pediment; cella (inner room); naos (interior aisle); exedrai (recesses). The architects also placed several sculptures around the base of the hill; these are known as the Propylaea.
The building of the Parthenon was begun in 447 B.C. by Pericles, who was then the leading citizen of Athens. It was not completed until 432 B.C. when the city was suffering under the rule of the tyrant Lysander. The statue of Athena Promachos (Fearless) by Phidias is said to have been a motive for finishing the building project. It shows the goddess holding her spear and shield, surrounded by other weapons of war.
Inside the temple, the cella is the most important room. It is here that Athenians went to pray to Athena for help with their problems or just to make an offering of food or money to the goddess. At one end of the room is an altar where sacrifices would be made. There are three other walls inside the cella covered in fine sculpture called metopes.
Today's Parthenon The Parthenon, along with the other structures on the Acropolis, is currently one of Greece's most visited archaeological monuments. With funds from the 2004 Olympic Games and UNESCO, the Greek Ministry of Culture launched a large repair effort that is currently ongoing. Some visitors may also notice changes to the appearance of the monument due to its new electronic display system.