Exhibitions
A LANDMARK REPURPOSED: FROM POST OFFICE TO ART MUSEUM
Frist Art Museum / 919 Broadway December 19, 2025 - August 1, 2026
This exhibition celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Frist Art Museum and honors its historical building as an architectural gem we are privileged to steward. A Landmark Repurposed includes architectural drawings, historical images, news clippings, and details about the former US post office and its transformation into the Frist Art Museum.
Constructed in 1933–34 under the direction of local architectural firm Marr & Holman, the building was financed by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Construction. Following guidelines from the Office of the Supervising Architect, 919 Broadway displays the two most distinctive architectural styles of the period: “starved” or “stripped” classicism and art deco. The building began its second life as the Frist Center for the Visual Arts on April 8, 2001. Since then, artworks from collections around the world have been shown in our galleries, and countless community members and visitors have been inspired through art to look at the world in new ways.
Previously presented for our twentieth anniversary, this updated exhibition highlights recent initiatives focused on the primary art object in our care: our historic building. Specific efficiency improvements have focused on structural components and environmental upgrades.
About Frist Art Museum:
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Frist Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art exhibition center dedicated to presenting and originating high-quality exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities. Located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, TN, the Frist Art Museum offers the finest visual art from local, regional, national, and international sources in exhibitions that inspire people through art to look at their world in new ways. Housed in Nashville’s former main post office building – the city’s treasured art deco structure that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 – the Frist Art Museum is a 124,400-square-foot facility with more than 45,000 square feet of combined exhibition and public space. On site, there is a gift shop, Café Cheeserie, and the award-winning, interactive Martin ArtQuest gallery, where guests can create their own works of art. Information on accessibility can be found at FristArtMuseum.org/accessibility. Gallery admission is free for guests ages 18 and younger and for members, and $20 for adults. For current hours and additional information, visit FristArtMuseum.org or call 615-244-3340.
Press Contact: Buddy Kite, bkite@fristartmuseum.org, 615-744-3351
