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 and NashvilleParthenon.com — the museum’s first dedicated website
2021 - Established the Parthenon Preservation Fund to increase private support for the Nashville landmark and introduced the museum’s first audio tour
2022 - Translated Parthenon audio tours into Spanish and Arabic and provided complimentary tours to over 50K visitors
2022 - CPC supported the Parthenon’s future care by establishing the Parthenon Preservation Fund and raising $150K to support it
2023 - Procured funding for the Parthenon’s Casts undergo a conservation project courtesy of The Hays Foundation
2024 - Invested $250K in a newly-installed ArtSentry security system to further protect the Parthenon’s art collection
2024 - Funded free transportation to the delight of 1.6K students across 14 educational field trips
2025 - Helped celebrate the 25th anniversary of the unveiling of the Athena Parthenos statue (May 20, 1990)
THE PARTHENON
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 - Helped transform the Park’s core 19-acres through completion of the Great Lawn Phase
2021 - Funded the entire $4M Park Plaza and Event Pavilion Phase improvements, expected to be completed in 2026
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 and NashvilleParthenon.com — the museum’s first dedicated website
2021 - Established the Parthenon Preservation Fund to increase private support for the Nashville landmark and introduced the museum’s first audio tour
2022 - Translated Parthenon audio tours into Spanish and Arabic and provided complimentary tours to over 50K visitors
2022 - CPC supported the Parthenon’s future care by establishing the Parthenon Preservation Fund and raising $150K to support it
2023 - Procured funding for the Parthenon’s Casts undergo a conservation project courtesy of The Hays Foundation
2024 - Invested $250K in a newly-installed ArtSentry security system to further protect the Parthenon’s art collection
2024 - Funded free transportation to the delight of 1.6K students across 14 educational field trips
2025 - Helped celebrate the 25th anniversary of the unveiling of the Athena Parthenos statue (May 20, 1990)
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 - Helped transform the Park’s core 19-acres through completion of the Great Lawn Phase
2021 - Funded the entire $4M Park Plaza and Event Pavilion Phase improvements, expected to be completed in 2026
2021 - Supported the Park’s future maintenance needs by allocating over $150K of revenue to the Centennial Park Maintenance Fund
2022 - Supported the completion of the Park’s Children’s Memory Garden of Nashville to honor children who lost their lives to violence
2022 - Supported the Park’s future maintenance needs by allocating over $135K of revenue to the Centennial Park Maintenance Fund
2022 - Supported the funding of a state historical marker at Centennial Art Center that was unveiled to honor the history of the former swimming pool that was closed in the 1960s in response to an effort to integrate the pool
2023 - Introduced a volunteer program and activated “Green Sweep” individuals and organizations that donated their time to help keep the Park clean
2024 - Contributed a $4.7M donation to Metro Parks for the upcoming revitalization of Centennial Park, including new pedestrian pathways to 31st Avenue and Park Plaza, a new northern vehicular entrance, an Event Pavilion along Lake Watauga, and a new concessions venue within the repurposed historic Croquet Clubhouse.
2024 - Contributed $100K towards the refurbishment of the historic Bandshell
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
2022 - Gave away 750 trees at Nashville Earth Day
2023 - Impacted over 70K children and families across 129 free Kidsville children’s events and StoryBook Walks
2025 - Funded $50,000 in environmental project grants initiatives across Davidson County through Nashville Earth Day proceeds
2024 - Celebrated 15 years of the Musicians Corner free outdoor concert series, which has hosted over 2,000 artists over 261 events since 2010
2024 - CPC assumes fiscal sponsorship of Celebrate Nashville, thereby furthering our commitment to sustaining this important annual multi-cultural festival in the Park
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
2024 - The Parthenon’s acclaimed Repatriation and Its Impact exhibition of Pre-Columbian artifacts and their return to Mexico receives national press coverage from The New York Times, NPR, NBC News, Smithsonian Magazine, and more.
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.