Ryman Auditorium: The Birthplace of Country Music

In this installment of ‘Larger than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we see where country music started in Nashville, Tennessee.

Situated among skyscrapers and modern all-glass buildings, Ryman Auditorium stands out with its red brick facade and Victorian Gothic Revival adornments. Pointed arched windows, classical pediment elements, and a centerpiece tracery window (divided into ornamental sections) at the top, capped triangular portion set the auditorium apart from the rest of the neighborhood. Courtesy of Deena Bouknight

A surfeit of sights and sounds have emanated from Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium for more than 100 years.

The Victorian Gothic Revival brick structure, designed by architect Hugh Cathcart Thompson, was built by riverboat captain Thomas Ryman. Initially, it was a venue for the late 19th-century evangelist Sam Jones and called Union Gospel Tabernacle, but when Ryman died in 1904, the structure was renamed in his honor.

The structure boasts exceptional acoustics due to the height of the stage and the auditorium; this has been a highlight for the singers, lecturers, musicians, and others who have had their moment in the Ryman spotlight.

When The Grand Ole Opry began broadcasting out of the Ryman, its success planted the building firmly in the annals of bluegrass and country music history. With its numerous towering stained-glass windows originating from its tabernacle origins, the “Mother Church of Country Music,” as the Ryman was nicknamed, hosted up-and-coming and famous musicians until The Grand Ole Opry moved into a new facility in the mid-'70s.

The structure, about half the size of the White House, stood empty for almost 20 years. Then in 1989, an architectural firm and a general contracting firm were hired to restore the Ryman. Architectural elements, such as the gothic arches and buttresses, were repaired and polished, as were the multiple rows of church-pew-type seats. Renovations brought the structure up to date, and an addition was constructed for new offices, restrooms, concessions, a gift shop, and mechanical rooms.

Among the Ryman Auditorium’s most distinctive features, both inside and out, are its pointed arched windows. On the exterior, the windows are topped with a diamond-shaped decoration and set off by layers of inset moldings and a red-brick dental molding design. Bricks on the facade were made in the late 1800s in Nashville, Tenn., by W.G. Bush & Co., later named R.D. Herbert & Sons, a company still in operation. Courtesy of Deena Bouknight

Softly lit with vintage globe lamps is the Ryman’s Hatch Show Print Gallery. On the over-grouted brick walls are posters autographed by famous entertainers. Brick-arched windows also line the hall, which is set off by tufted leather benches against the polished pine wood flooring. Courtesy of Deena Bouknight

The undulating blown-glass technique evident on the stained-glass windows gives the structure its stand-alone style among contemporary glass structures. Muted hues of red, blue, turquoise, green, yellow, and orange are most evident from the inside during the day and from the outside when the interior is lit. Although the windows were originally clear, they were replaced with stained glass in 1966 as the owners wanted to express the “ecclesiastical history” of the Ryman, according to curator Joshua Bronnenberg. Rolf_52/Shutterstock

Made of white oak, the pew-style seating has held up well under a century of use. At the end of each row is a hand-carved scroll pattern with a rosette adornment and the same pointed Gothic arch window designs to mirror the actual stained-glass windows. Rolf_52/Shutterstock

For decades, performers have looked out over a seating area for an audience of more than 2,000 on two classic, auditorium-style levels. The multi-hued, arched stained glass windows send out a soft glow; the intricate painted etching design can be seen below the second tier of seating. Courtesy of Deena Bouknight

The Ryman stage has hosted countless musicians, politicians, and entertainers, who have entertained their audiences with great music, stories, and more. Since its restoration in the 1990s, most of the stage floor has been covered in Brazilian teak wood, with the original white oak in the front of the stage. A classic red velvet curtain closes over the 21-foot high stage, from the deck to the proscenium (the part of a theater stage in front of the curtain) wall. Courtesy of Deena Bouknight

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