A SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville have partnered in a unique collaborative campaign to revitalize the U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center, a historic community asset located on the western entrance to Shelby Park and Bottoms, and to reimagine it as Shelby Commons, a new parks, arts and cultural center for all of Nashville to experience.
Shelby Commons will be a public-private partnership with Friends of Shelby leasing the Naval Building and surrounding park grounds from Metro Parks and entering a parallel long-term lease with the Arts & Business Council as an equal partner in the capital campaign, site restoration and ongoing operations. Both entities will have office space within the building and generate revenue through the lease of the building spaces to tenants.
We believe this building can serve Our Park with needed amenities such as food service, restrooms, and recreation retail like kayak and bike rental. We believe this building can provide Our Community with a place to gather and connect as neighbors on common ground and support the artists and creatives that are the soul of our city. All of this will ensure that Our Future is focused on the people who live and gather here and the health of our community.
We know that strong cultural infrastructure leads to thriving, more equitable communities. We believe that the former Naval Reserve Training Center — the new Shelby Commons — can provide accessible, collaborative space to bolster the creative community and strengthen civic life.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PLANS
ATTENTION SAILORS!
If you served or trained at the former U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center, we invite you to share your stories to become part of the creation of Shelby Commons.
As plans continue to take shape for the interior design of the new building, we want to honor the sailors who served there by telling their personal stories via photos, videos, interviews and more.
NEXT STEPS FOR SHELBY COMMONS
THE PROCESS
We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response from the community about our plans for the Shelby Commons development. It’s gratifying to know that this project has generated so much excitement and interest and we’re thankful to the many artists, nonprofit organizations and community members who have already reached out.
We are also grateful to Councilman Clay Capp, Metro Council and Metro Parks for their help in approving the lease of the former U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center to Friends of Shelby and the Arts & Business Council.
Our next steps include:
Securing and cleaning the building
Selecting a contractor
More fundraising!
INDICATE YOUR INTEREST
If you or your organization is interested in being a possible tenant at Shelby Commons or in providing ideas about potential uses of the space and/or programming, please feel free to fill out our feedback form here.
Thanks again for your excitement and support of Shelby Commons, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.
A PLACE FOR CULTURE & COMMUNITY
The Creative Fabric of Nashville
From the Fisk Jubilee Singers that earned Nashville its “Music City” moniker to the replica of the Parthenon in Centennial Park, Nashville's creative spirit is woven deep into its cultural fabric. For generations, our vibrant city has been the nurturing ground for musicians, visual artists, writers, and performers of all kinds. Art and artists are not just essential to Nashville's identity; they are pivotal to its prosperity. In recent years, the creative sector has evolved into a formidable economic force, generating jobs, tourism revenue, and fostering innovation. Nashville's vibrant artistic community (and the economic benefits it brings) is in jeopardy without a commitment to cultural investment and support for local creatives. To preserve this invaluable creative workforce and sustain Nashville's cultural vibrancy, it's imperative to invest in robust cultural infrastructure. By creating an accessible, collaborative multi-disciplinary arts and community hub, we can ensure that Nashville is not just a city where music is made; it’s a place where creativity finds a home.
history of the building
Built in 1948, the Shelby Naval Reserve Training Center was designed by American architect Edwin Keeble. Used as a training facility for the U.S. Navy until 2009, both the building and surrounding site were decommissioned and transferred to the Metro Parks Department. The structure’s unique “Nautical Moderne” style led to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places for significance in architecture and military history. Years of heavy use, limited maintenance, and over 10 years of abandonment have left this iconic building in disrepair.
This project will activate the park’s western entrance, provide new recreation and gathering opportunities that connect visitors to the park and the river. As an arts hub, the project will attract neighbors and new users is experience the park in new ways.
A Campaign for ALL
Current cost estimates for the project total $18 million, including design, construction, lease-up, and operating reserves.
Building on an initial investment of $2.5 million from Metro Nashville, Friends of Shelby and the Arts & Business Council will mobilize the Nashville community including foundations, businesses, and individuals to fully fund the project and make this collaborative campus a reality.
The revitalization of Shelby Commons dovetails with important city investment along the east side of the Cumberland River. The central location creates an accessible hub where park enthusiasts, artists, and everyday Nashvillians can come together and experience civic life.
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LEAD ORGANIzations
Founded in 2008, Friends of Shelby Park & Bottoms is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, enhancement, and promotion of Shelby Park and Bottoms for everyone to appreciate and protect. Friends of Shelby works to protect the natural and historical integrity of the park by supporting recreational activities, maintaining and enhancing park features, promoting programs that inspire appreciation and conservation, and advocating for a level playing field for all user groups. Learn more at friendsofshelby.org.
For nearly 20 years, the Arts & Business Council has been the region’s hub for building more sustainable creative businesses. A 501(c)3 nonprofit, ABC leverages and unites the unique resources of the arts and business communities to create a thriving, sustainable creative culture in Nashville. Through its unique resources and opportunities, ABC provides entrepreneurial education and capacity-building resources to more than 8,000 individual artists, arts nonprofits, creative businesses, and arts enthusiasts annually. Learn more at abcnashville.org.
In addition to the core partnership of the two lead organizations, Shelby Commons will co-locate artists, entrepreneurs, and resident nonprofits in one central location creating a new opportunity for collaboration, joint programs, and resource sharing that is sure to enrich the park and broader community.
SHelby park and bottoms
At 1,300 acres, Shelby Park and Bottoms is the third-largest park in Nashville, Tennessee. The Park and Bottoms feature a variety of natural and manmade resources: from streams, archaeological features, and environmental preserves to ballfields, playgrounds, and picnic shelters. The greenway system that runs through the park is part of the Music City bikeway that connects Shelby from the Percy Priest Dam to the Metro Center levee and Tennessee State University. The Cumberland River runs along Shelby’s eastern border and offers visitors recreation opportunities like fishing, kayaking, canoeing, etc. These resources provide a broad range of educational and recreational opportunities for our diverse community.