The Parthenon at Athens, Greece and at Nashville, Tennessee

In Short

This book serves as both a historical record and a guide to the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee—the world's only full-scale replica of the ancient Greek temple. It chronicles the origin of the original structure in the age of Pericles, its tragic destruction in 1687, and the ambitious, decades-long project to recreate it in Nashville’s Centennial Park. Through careful research and architectural analysis, the text illuminates the artistry of Phidias and the enduring human desire to capture beauty, serving as an educational tribute to a monument that defines a civilization.

The Story

The story begins in the fifth century B.C. with the construction of the Parthenon in Athens. Under the guidance of Pericles and the artistic genius of Phidias, the Greeks created a temple that served as the zenith of their civilization’s architectural and religious expression. Built of Pentelic marble, it housed the chryselephantine statue of Athena—a masterpiece of gold and ivory—and was adorned with elaborate sculptures depicting the gods of Olympus. The author details the temple’s evolution as it transitioned from a pagan site to a Christian church and eventually a Mohammedan mosque, maintaining its structural integrity for over two thousand years despite these cultural shifts.

The narrative arc shifts to 1687, when the Parthenon met its ruin. During a conflict between the Turks and the Venetians, the temple was used to store gunpowder. A single Venetian shot ignited the store, causing an explosion that devastated the interior and shattered the pedimental sculptures, leaving the shell that remains in Athens today. The author frames this not as an end, but as a challenge to future generations to understand the temple's original perfection through the fragments that survived.

In the late nineteenth century, the story moves to Nashville, Tennessee. Known as the "Athens of the South," the city chose to build a temporary, plaster-and-lath replica of the Parthenon for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. The building proved so beloved that the city refused to let it be destroyed. Over the following decades, the community’s commitment to the project grew, culminating in the 1920 decision to reconstruct the temple in permanent materials.

The process of rebuilding is treated with the gravity of a scholarly pursuit. The author explains how architects and archaeologists spent eleven years conducting rigorous research to ensure the Nashville reproduction matched the original temple as it stood in 438 B.C. They utilized casts of the "Elgin Marbles" from the British Museum and sketches made by the French artist Jacques Carrey in 1674 to recreate the lost sculptures. The resulting structure, finished in 1931, uses reinforced concrete to mimic the aesthetics of marble, including the subtle color staining caused by iron oxide. The account concludes by positioning the Nashville Parthenon not merely as a museum, but as a living educational tool—a place where the history of the Greek gods and the principles of classical design are preserved for a modern public, fulfilling a dream of restoring the "Golden Age" to the American landscape.

How It Unfolds

The foundations of an icon The narrative establishes the Parthenon as the pinnacle of Greek culture, rooted in the religious devotion of the Periclean age. It introduces the key figures, Phidias and Pericles, whose partnership realized this architectural masterpiece.

The catastrophe of 1687 The book details the tragic military accident that reduced the temple to a ruin, highlighting how the structure's own history of use—as a church and a mosque—contributed to its fate. It emphasizes that while the interior was destroyed, the foundation remained, allowing researchers to later map the original design.

A Tennessee tradition is born The story transitions to the 1897 Centennial Exposition, where Nashville’s cultural pride led to the initial, temporary replica. It explains how local affection for the building forced the hand of the Board of Park Commissioners to preserve the site.

The pursuit of historical accuracy The focus turns to the decade-long, meticulous reconstruction process starting in 1920. The author highlights the use of specialized research, such as the Carrey drawings, to ensure the Nashville version corrected modern misconceptions about the original.

A permanent legacy The final beats describe the finished Nashville Parthenon, detailing its interior features, the massive bronze doors, and the collection of pedimental sculptures. It ends with a reflection on the temple's role in contemporary education and its lasting power to inspire.

The People

The book focuses on the "great men" of history whose vision and labor shaped the Parthenon. Phidias, the primary architect and sculptor, stands as the central creative force; his executive ability and genius were essential in translating the religious fervor of the Greeks into physical stone. He is supported by Pericles, the statesman who provided the political and financial mandate to bring the temple into existence.

Across the centuries, Lord Elgin emerges as a figure of controversy and utility. While some critics label his removal of sculptures from the Athenian ruins as robbery, the author defends his actions as a vital preservation effort, noting that his collection in the British Museum provided the necessary blueprints for the Nashville reconstruction. Jacques Carrey, the French artist, plays a pivotal, if indirect, role; his sketches, made just before the 1687 explosion, act as the primary historical record that allowed modern artists to replicate the pedimental figures.

Finally, the Board of Park Commissioners of Nashville function as the modern heroes of the story. Driven by a civic desire to elevate the city’s identity, they persist through years of planning and financial effort to ensure the permanent reproduction is completed. These men are described as stewards of culture, whose "intelligent and untiring interest" transformed a temporary exposition building into a permanent monument that bridges the ancient world and the modern American public.

In Its Own Voice

"It has been well said that art is organized emotion, while science is organized knowledge."

The author reflects on the dual nature of the Greek legacy, suggesting that the Parthenon represents the perfect marriage of both concepts.

"The Greeks were not idolaters in the sense that they bowed down to gold and ivory; they loved to chisel in marble the beautiful forms that represented to them their gods who dwelt on Mount Olympus."

This passage clarifies the relationship between the Greek people and their religious iconography, defending their devotion as a pursuit of the beautiful.

What It's Really About

The central argument of the book is that the Parthenon represents "the best effort of the mind, the heart, and the hand of man." It posits that architecture is not merely a structural concern but an expression of a civilization’s spiritual and emotional values. By detailing the "subtleties" of the temple—such as the deliberate curvature of lines to overcome optical illusions—the author argues that the Greeks pursued a level of perfection that transcends the practical. Underlying the history is the question of how a culture can preserve the "spiritual" influence of the past when the original context, such as the worship of the Olympian gods, has faded. The book suggests that by reproducing the physical perfection of the temple, modern society can capture and sustain the inspiration that fueled the "Golden Age."

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in architectural history or the development of American civic culture will find this book deeply compelling. It reads as a sincere, earnest labor of love, written by someone who views the Parthenon not as a static object of study but as a source of genuine moral and aesthetic elevation. The prose is dignified and precise, reflecting a mid-twentieth-century appreciation for classical rigor.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the book is its detailed explanation of the "subtleties"—the way the builders used non-parallel lines to trick the eye into seeing perfection. For those who have visited or plan to visit Nashville, this serves as an essential companion, providing the context to see the park’s replica with new depth.

Readers should be aware that the book carries the attitudes of its 1941 publication date. It treats the classical Greek perspective on "gods and goddesses" with a reverent, almost secularized piety that may feel unusual to modern readers, and it discusses the "barbarian" tribes and colonial-era acquisitions (like the Elgin Marbles) with a blunt, period-appropriate confidence. Despite these shifts in historical framing, the book remains a classic example of local history written with grand, universal ambitions. It stays with you as a testament to the idea that a city can be defined by its commitment to beauty, and that the "Age of Pericles" is not just a chapter in a textbook, but a standard for what humans can achieve when they decide to build something that lasts.