North Side of the Nashville Public Square ca 1959, Nashville Public Library. |
A few years ago I wrote about the Nashville Public Square and the changes that had taken place in the 20th century. The buildings that formed the four sides of the square were all demolished by the early 1980\’s, with the exception of one. The Ben West Municipal Building, built in 1937 as the new Nashville Market House remains, along with the 1937 Davidson County Courthouse, in the center of the square.
The Morgan-Reeves building, which stood on the north side at 208-210 Public Square North, may have been the oldest building on the square, in the latter half of the 20th century. Many Nashvillians remember the structure, which stood until 1975. Originally called the Morgan building, it became known as the Morgan-Reeves building in the 20th century, because of the long term occupancy of the J. S. Reeves Co.
Morgan-Reeves Building 208-210 Public Square – LOC HABS |
Although modern published accounts of the Morgan-Reeves building, state it was built after the fire of 1856, recent research has shown that it was actually constructed in 1854/55. The address of the building was originally No. 49 Public Square. The numbering system used on the public square was changed over time and by the 20th century the address was 208-210 Public Square.
Nashville Union and American. July 06, 1856 |
The building was completed by the late summer of 1855, when the advertisements began to appear in newspapers.
On September 3, 1855, an article appeared in the Daily Nashville True Whig, about the new building, describing the merchandise within and naming Samuel D. Morgan as the \”projector and builder of this fine edifice.\”
On April 13, 1856. a fire started in the basement of the Nashville Inn, on the public square. A strong wind blowing from the north soon spread the flames across the square, onto the roof of the courthouse and to the south side heading toward Broad Street. A news article from the Nashville Union and American, on April 15, 1956, described the fire.
Davidson County Courthouse burned April 13, 1856, Metro Nashville Archives |
On August 14, 1856, four months after the fire, a notice appeared in the Nashville Daily Patriot, announcing that the business house of S. D. Morgan & Co. is under a regular transformation in color. We must say we admire the taste displayed, and that this fine building shows to much better advantage, than it did previous to the change. An adjacent notice, told of the new buildings under construction on the north side of the square.
S. D. Morgan\’s building survived the great fire of 1856 and prevented the progress of the fire to the west. It was a Nashville landmark for more than 120 years. It could not escape Nashville\’s version of progress and fell to the wrecking ball in 1975. That block on the north side of the square is now home to Metro Nashville\’s Criminal Justice Center.
Metro Nashville Justice Center – Visual Photos |
Update – The Criminal Justice Center was demolished in 2016. The site will be used for a new Davidson County Jail.