ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Accomplishments & Achievements
Centennial Park Conservancy was founded in 1985 as the Athena Fund Foundation. For its first 20 years in existence, the organization focused solely on supporting the Parthenon. In 2005, our mission was expanded to support the entire park. We have made a positive impact on the Parthenon and Centennial Park over the past four decades, thanks to the generosity of our many donors, members, foundations, and corporate partners. The following are several notable highlights.
THE PARTHENON
1982 - 1990 - Funded the building of the Athena statue
1998 - Established and funded the museum’s Docent Program
2000 - Funded the museum’s Speakers Bureau Program where Docents provide educational presentations to outside organizations
2002 - Funded the painting and gilding of Athena in 24-karat gold
2007 - Welcomed the Greek Ambassador to Nashville during the Onassis Foundation’s theatrical troupe performance at the feet of Athena
2008 - Received private collection of 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition memorabilia and donated to Parthenon's permanent collection
2009 -Funded the renovation of the Parthenon Museum’s ramp cases, restored a rare 1870 book for Parthenon's permanent collection, and funded a James Cowan portrait restoration
2010 - Installed permanent collection of Parthenon Casts and Maquettes in the Parthenon's Treasury Room, enabling visitors to understand their historical connection
2011 -Purchased and donated interactive computers to Parthenon's main gallery
2012 - Commissioned an original one-man play about William Stillman and funded its production
2014 - Enhanced and funded Parthenon museum educational programming, with expanded access for neuro-diverse, visually impaired, and people with disabilities.
2015 - Introduced Parthenon Architecture Tours focusing on the original construction of the Greek temple in Athens
2017 - 2019: Held Conservations in Arts and Architecture at the Parthenon
2020 - Funded the installation of WiFi in the museum
2021 - Established the Parthenon Preservation Fund to increase private support for the Nashville landmark and introduced the museum’s first audio tour
CENTENNIAL PARK
2008 - Applied and was awarded National Register of Historic Places status for Centennial Park
2009 - Funded the restoration of the John Thomas Monument, which pays homage to the first President of the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition held on the grounds of Centennial Park
2010 - Partnered with the City of Nashville and Metro Parks to create a Master Plan to revitalize the park
2015 - Funded $1M of improvements to the Cockrill Spring and Lake Watauga Phase of the revitalization, completed in 2017
2019 - Funded $5M of improvements to the great Lawn Phase of improvements, completed in 2021
2020 - Established the Centennial Park Maintenance Fund with a $100K donation
2021 - Funded the entire $4M Park Plaza and Event Pavilion Phase improvements, expected to be completed in 2024
PROGRAMS
2010 - Created Musicians Corner, inspired by Speakers’ Corner in London’s Hyde Park, as a location for free music events in Nashville’s central park. Kids Corner, which later became our Kidsville program, was introduced as part of these events.
2010 - Introduced Conservancy Gala, the organization’s signature fundraiser
2015 - Expanded Kidsville into a stand-alone program and introduced Kidsville at the Parthenon
2016 - Introduced Centennial Craft Fest in the park
2017 - Introduced the Kidsville Family Festival in Centennial Park
2019 – Created the ECHO chamber music program to support emerging composers in the Parthenon
2019 - Introduced Chef’s Odyssey, a culinary tasting dinner fundraiser
2020 - Began managing Nashville Earth Day
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
2013 - Received a Salute To Excellence SunTrust Bank Business Acumen for the Arts Award
2014 - Selected as a finalist for a Salute to Excellence Frist Foundation Innovation in Action Award
2016 - Received a Salute To Excellence Frist Foundation Revenue Development Award
2017 - Featured on NECAT (Nashville Education, Community and Arts Television Network) series called “Our Nashville”
2021 - Selected as one of eight park support groups nationally to be invited to participate in Central Park Conservancy's Institute of Urban Parks Partnerships Lab
Show your support for the Park & Parthenon as a Centennial Park Conservancy Member or Donor
Centennial Park and the iconic Parthenon are Nashville Treasures. Your membership and donations 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.