The Ryman Auditorium is a historic venue and museum at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Hugh Cathcart Thompson designed it, and Thomas Ryman led its construction as a tabernacle for the revivalist Samuel Porter Jones. It was built from 1885 to 1892 and opened in 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle, at a cost of $100,000.
A balcony followed in 1897 and a stage in 1901. From 1943 to 1974 it was home to the Grand Ole Opry, which earned it the nickname "The Mother Church of Country Music."
It became a National Historic Landmark in 2001. Renovations in 1994 and 2015 expanded the backstage and lobby spaces. Today it seats 2,362 on wooden pews and hosts concerts and tours.
Comments