Ryman Reveals $14 Million Expansion

The $14 million expansion of the Ryman Auditorium will be unveiled today (June 8). Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, Ryman Hospitality Properties chairman and CEO Colin Reed, and Ryman Auditorium general manager Sally Williams are set for the afternoon press event.

The expansion of the National Historic Landmark includes a new state-of-the-art theater home to the film Soul of Nashville, five new exhibits, and a cafe. The original 1892 auditorium remained untouched during the renovation. Nashville- based firms Hastings Architecture Associates and R.C. Mathews Contractor headed up the project.

Soul of Nashville will kick off the reimagined Ryman daytime tour experience in a new 100-seat theater custom built for the show. Created by BRC Imagination Arts of California, Soul of Nashville utilizes cutting edge technology to surround the audience with moving images on multiple projector planes which puts them in the center of the show. Through special effects, archival images and footage, performers from the Ryman’s past become multidimensional right before the viewer’s eyes. Darius Rucker, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill appear in the film. The attraction is hosted by a virtual Lula C. Naff, the Ryman’s longtime promoter and manager (1904-1955.) She brought the greatest performers and Broadway plays of the day to the venue and ushered the Grand Ole Opry into the Ryman in 1943, where it resided until 1974.

Cafe Lula is a nod to Lula Naff. With floor-to-ceiling glass windows on three sides and a covered patio, the cafe located outside the Ryman’s main entrance, will offer both dine-in and grab-and-go service. There will be an emphasis on rotisserie cooking, as well as an espresso bar and full service bar.

Visitors will enjoy five new exhibits including videos and artifacts:

“Workin’ on a Building”: Video host Trisha Yearwood tells of the famed meeting between Thomas Green Ryman and Samuel Porter Jones, and the inspiration that led to the construction of the Union Gospel Tabernacle.

“Showplace of the South”: Video host Nicole Kidman shares the fascinating story of the Ryman’s transition from a revival hall into a premier performing arts venue, all under the helm of longtime manager Lula C. Naff.

“Mother Church of Country Music”: The Ryman acquired a new identity when the Grand Ole Opry radio program found itself in search of a new home, and began broadcasting from the stage of the old “Mother Church.” Hear firsthand accounts from Opry members Marty Stuart and Ricky Skaggs.

“Ryman Stage to Screen”: Visitors will see clips from the concert tapings, television episodes and major motion pictures (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Nashville, American Idol, etc.) that have used the Ryman as their setting during a video hosted by Charles Esten.

“Ryman Renaissance”: An exhibit dedicated to the ongoing legacy of the Ryman. Video host Robin Roberts shares recent Ryman history and relates the importance of its continued tradition. Today, the Ryman hosts 200-250 events annually.