NASHVILLE, TN – Oct. 5, 2020 – The Tennessee State Museum has received an Excellence in Development Award from the Nashville Chapter of the Urban Land Institute in the Large Public Sector Project category.
The museum was one of seven private- and public-sector projects to be recognized at ULI-Nashville’s virtual award gala on Tuesday, Sept. 29. A jury comprised of representatives from Columbus, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; and Detroit, Michigan considered factors such as excellence and innovation in development, design and construction; environmental stewardship; catalytic effect; and standard of industry excellence.
The team recognized for the Tennessee State Museum includes the State of Tennessee, Department of General Services (Owner), EOA Architects (Architect), HGA Architects & Engineers (Architect and MEP Engineers), Turner Construction Co. (Contractor), HDLA (Landscape Architect), S&ME (Civil Engineer and Geo Professionals), EMC Structural Engineers, P.C. (Structural Engineers), Gallagher & Associates (Exhibit Designer), Shen Milson & Wilke (AV & Security), McCoy Design (Wayfinding/Signage), Smith Seckman Reid Inc. (Commissioning/Environmental), Compass (Project Manager), Pillars Development, LLC (Project Manager) and Design and Production, Inc.(Exhibit Contractor).
The Tennessee State Museum was created in 1937. Originally housed in the War Memorial Building and then the James K. Polk Office Building in downtown Nashville, it opened in its new location in October 2018 at the corner of Rosa L. Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street in Nashville, adjacent to the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. More than 275,000 visitors have visited the new museum, including more than 56,000 students and adults through field trips and group tours. Complementing its exhibitions, it has hosted dozens of events, lectures, panel discussions and film screenings.
During its COVID closure, the museum increased its digital offerings with lectures, new posts on its Stories blog, extended showcasing of its collection on its social media channels, and a new TSM Kids page offering Junior Curator blogs, weekly Storytime readings and more. The Museum reopened to the public on July 1, 2020 with COVID restrictions in place and opened its new temporary exhibition, “Ratified! Tennessee Women and the Right to Vote,” later that month. A special temporary display commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, and the Nobel Peace Prize awarded Tennessee-native Cordell Hull, known as “The Father of United Nations” will be on exhibit Oct. 13-25.
The museum was also re-accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition signifying excellence afforded the nation’s museums, in early 2020, and was recipient of an Award of Excellence from The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) for its 2019-20 exhibition, “Let’s Eat! Origins and Evolutions of Tennessee Food.”
About the Tennessee State Museum
The Tennessee State Museum, on the corner of Rosa L Parks Blvd. and Jefferson Street at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, is home.to 13,000 years of Tennessee art and history. Through six permanent exhibitions titled “Natural History,” “First Peoples,” “Forging a Nation,” “The Civil War and Reconstruction,” “Change and Challenge” and “Tennessee Transforms,” the museum takes visitors on a journey – through artifacts, films, interactive displays, events and educational and digital programing – from the state’s geological beginnings to the present day. The museum is free and open to the public Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. For more information on exhibitions and events, please visit www.tnmuseum.org.
