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Item Name
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Hermitage Hotel
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Creator
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Amy Inthavong
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Lede
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The hotel's exquisite physical characteristics and why its remains as a prominent site for guests from the past and present day.
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Story-Subject
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The Heritage Hotel opened in 1910. The hotel was advertised as “fireproof, noise proof, and dustproof” during its opening. The hotel’s intersection includes other great historical landmarks, such as the Tennessee State Capitol and the Ryman Auditorium. It’s architecture, planned by J.E.R. Carpenter, correlates to the Beaux Arts style of academic neoclassical design. The hotel’s notable physical characteristics are the Italian marble in the main lobby and Circassian walnut paneling, which is cut in the same technique as the paneling in the ballroom of the Titanic. The lobby also features stained glass ceilings.
Numerous events have taken place at the hotel for prominent socialites. The hotel became an icon for Nashville’s rise. One of the notable guests include President William Howard Taft who organized a banquet at the hotel on November 9, 1911.
Transportation changes and the downtown’s inactivity hurt the hotel’s business, and the hotel eventually closed in the late 1970s. In 1980, one of Nashville’s marketing firms Gresham, Smith and Partners redesigned the building into hotel suites. Reconstruction continued in 1994-1995 by architect Stan Topol. He helped bring back the hotel’s old, notable appearance. The Hermitage Hotel remains a prominent site for politicians, citizens and entertainers.
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Subtitle
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The hotel's features and notable guests
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Subject
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Historic hotel in Nashville
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Source
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File #54: “Hermitage Hotel”
Title - Hermitage Hotel
Description - The front entrance of the Hermitage Hotel
Source
http://tnreview.org/reviews/hermitage-hotel/
Date - July 29, 2015
Rights - Tennessee Review
File #55: “The Hermitage Hotel”
Title - The Hermitage Hotel
Description - The Hermitage Hotel in October 19, 1912 during the Glidden Tour (an automobile tour)
Source
https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A193104
Date - October 19, 1912
Rights - Spooner and Wells
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Official Website of historic site/monument
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https://www.thehermitagehotel.com
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Related Resources
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“Historic Retreats: Nashville's Hermitage Hotel.” Oldhouseonline, Oldhouseonline, www.oldhouseonline.com/articles/historic-retreats-nashvilles-hermitage-hotel.
manchanegra. “The Hermitage Hotel - Nashville, TN.” Waymarketing, 1 Jan. 2008, www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2WXK_The_Hermitage_Hotel_Nashville_TN.
McRaven, Henry. Nashville "Athens of the South". Tennessee Book Company, 1949.
Van West, Carroll. “The hermitage hotel.” Tennessee Encyclopedia, Middle Tennessee State University, 25 Dec. 2009, tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=626.
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Bibliographic Citation
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Amy Inthavong, “Hermitage Hotel,” Bygone Nashville, accessed September 16, 2025, https://bygone-nashville.mtsu.edu/admin/items/show/24.
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Title/Location
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Hermitage Hotel
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Address
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231 6th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219
