LOUISVILLE, KY—21c Museum Hotels has opened in Nashville, TN, marking the brand’s seventh property.
Building on its mission of engaging the public with contemporary art and supporting the revitalization of American downtowns, 21c has rehabilitated the Gray & Dudley Building in downtown Nashville near Printer’s Alley. Located at 221 2nd Ave. North, the hotel offers 10,500 sq. ft. of contemporary art exhibition space open free of charge to the public, a 124-room boutique hotel and the locally inspired, Gray & Dudley restaurant helmed by Chef Levon Wallace.
“We have had our sights set on Nashville for quite some time, and are excited to bring 21c to Music City,” said Steve Wilson, founder and CEO of 21c Museum Hotels. “With such a robust and exciting art and music scene, we felt the destination matched perfectly with our brand ethos, and we look forward to contributing to the area’s thriving cultural landscape.”
Art at 21c was founded by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, contemporary art collectors and preservationists who believe in the power of art to transform communities. 21c Nashville presents rotating solo and group exhibitions, site-specific installations and a full roster of cultural programming curated by Museum Director and Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites.
New, site-specific installations are among the major works by an international roster of artists that will be on view at 21c Nashville. Commissioned by 21c Museum Hotels, the multimedia works will be installed throughout the public and private spaces of the hotel, drawing on themes as diverse as technology, pop culture, and the environment.
21c Nashville is Deborah Berke Partner’s seventh collaboration with the 21c Museum Hotels team and its fourth collaboration with Pittsburgh-based Executive Architect, Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff and Goettel. Nashville-based contractor R.C.Mathews Company served as the Construction Manager for 21c Nashville.
Upon entering the lobby gallery, there are cast-iron columns, a reception area, a boutique gift shop that doubles as a lounge and the video gallery designed to showcase new media and digital contemporary art. The space overlooks the double-height main gallery on the lower level.
The 124 guestrooms and suites showcase wood floors and high ceilings, custom contemporary furnishings, large windows and floor-to-ceiling drapery. Three newly built light wells bring natural illumination into the core of the building, including guest rooms facing the building’s interior.
The hotel also has seven rooftop suites, including the 21c Suite with 1,700 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor space, as well as views of the Cumberland River and surrounding historic district.
The on-site museum space doubles as meeting and event space, and can accommodate a wide variety of gatherings.