National Park Service Approves Music Row Research Study

The National Park Service has approved the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s research and documentation of Music Row’s historical significance. The study, titled Historic Places on Music Row, will aid property owners seeking to earn National Register designation for their Music Row buildings.

Additionally, the National Park Service approved a nomination to list the House of David Recording Studio Complex in the National Register of Historic Places. Once a building is listed on the National Register, owners are eligible to pursue federal historic tax credits to help fund historic rehabilitation and preservation easements to reduce property taxes.

House of David opened in 1974, in a former boarding house belonging to music industry leader and musician David Briggs. For more than 40 years, a diverse array of major artists such as Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, Tom Jones, Roy Orbison, Ann Margaret, Travis Tritt, B.B. King and Willie Nelson recorded there. The House of David continues to be an active studio.

“The Park Service’s approval of the Music Row research is a powerful validation of our efforts to see this one-of-a-kind cultural district not only survive but thrive for generations to come,” said David J. Brown, executive vice president and chief preservation officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Older buildings and blocks are key components to creating successful cities and neighborhoods. Re-using and reinvesting in the historic properties of Music Row will help create a vital and economically strong area that will sustain key treasures of our nation’s musical heritage.”

Nashville’s Metro Planning Department is also utilizing the National Trust’s research to develop a new Music Row Code that will guide future development of Music Row while preserving its historic character.

“The U.S. Park Service’s recognition of the National Trust’s work in the Music Row neighborhood echoes the sentiments of the Metropolitan Planning Department,” said Doug Sloan, executive director of the Metro Planning Department. “The study is an invaluable tool for the preservation of the history of Music Row, and enables us to identify opportunities for continued growth of the music industry in the area.”

“Historic Places on Music Row” inventories almost 400 music-related properties on Music Row. The document begins in 1954 when brothers Owen and Harold Bradley, two of Nashville’s early music industry leaders, converted a Victorian era home into a recording studio and traces Music Row’s evolution into the centerpiece of Nashville’s international reputation as Music City.