Belmont Mansion Highlights Nashville’s History, Showcases Five Decades of Restorative Work

Built more than 150 years ago in Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont Mansion is steeped in history. The Italian villa-style building was initially conceived to serve as a summer home for Adelicia Hayes Acklen Franklin Cheatham and her second husband, Joseph Acklen. 

The mansion featured a number of amenities, both creative and innovative, including a water tower that brought running water inside the home. This allowed Belmont Mansion to have a flush toilet, which was unheard of before the Civil War, and power fountains on the property grounds. 

Myers Brown, Executive Director of the Belmont Mansion Association, referred to the water tower as an “architectural and engineering phenomenon.” 

“It’s just incredible that they did it,” said Brown. “We know the architect/engineer that did it. We know the science on how it worked. It’s a pretty amazing story in and of itself.” 

Belmont Mansion also once contained a menagerie with a wide variety of animals, including birds, a bear, a monkey and multiple alligators, creating what is believed to be Nashville’s first zoo.  

The mansion would later play an important role during the Civil War, serving as the headquarters for the 4th Corps of the U.S. Army of the Cumberland.  

“We were the headquarters for a significant part of the Union Army during the Battle of Nashville,” said Brown. “We interpret several of the rooms as they would have appeared in those storied weeks when the Union Army is entrenched there on the grounds and in the mansion.” 

Belmont Mansion is one of the featured building tours that will take place during the first day of the 2026 ICC Annual Conference and Expo (Oct.18–21). Attendees can sign up for the tour when they register for the conference. 

A Moment in History, Preserved Forever 

By the end of the 1800s, Belmont Mansion (once known as the Belle Monte estate) was sold to a land development company. Two principals from Philadelphia, Susan L. Heron and Ida E. Hood, then purchased the mansion to open the Belmont College for Young Women. The school evolved into Ward-Belmont College after merging with Ward Seminary for Young Ladies in 1913 and became a co-ed institution, known simply as Belmont College, in 1951. 

By this point, Belmont Mansion wasn’t what it used to be; the mansion had been transformed into a rather plain building. 

“All the interior finishings were pretty much overpainted with white,” said Brown, noting that even the wallpaper was covered with white paint. “It kind of stayed in this very sterile, white looking-environment until the 1970s.”  

At the same time, Belmont College (now Belmont University) grew with the addition of several new buildings, gradually eliminating the need for the mansion. Consequently, many of the mansion’s rooms fell into disrepair. 

That changed when several professors teamed up to save the mansion. Their efforts, among students and outside parties, allowed the mansion to open as museum on July 3, 1976, roughly two years after restoration work began. Belmont Mansion recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, but the hard work continues and will likely never end. 

One recent addition includes the restoration of the Billiard Room, which opened in August 2025. 

“During the girl school era, it had been turned into dorm rooms,” said Brown. “When it became a house museum in the ‘70s, that space was turned into two staff member offices. The good news is that when we started to peel back all of the work that had been done, we discovered clues that allowed us to restore the room to its 1860s appearance. For example, we found significant portions of the original wallpaper, which meant we were able to have the wallpaper reproduced.” 

The fireplace and mantels had been taken out, so they had to be put in and restored. The pool cue cabinet also had to be re-created – luckily, the original inset within the wall was located, allowing for correct placement. No one knew what the painted ceilings were like, so inspiration was taken from other billiard rooms of the era, which were likely very similar. 

“Lastly, we had about a third of the original billiard table,” Brown added. “Using that third, we were able build the rest of it and recreate the billiard table to its full size and its full original appearance.” 

What to See at Belmont 

Belmont Mansion guests are encouraged to check out the surrounding Belmont University campus. Portions of the original 19th century garden statuary and gazebos have been retained, providing a window into the past beyond the mansion itself.  

“If you go to other parts of campus where the more modern buildings are, it’s still an absolutely gorgeous campus with fountains and greenspaces,” said Brown. “The whole campus is an arboretum for the city of Nashville. It’s a fantastic space to walk around.” 

Belmont University is also home to the Frederick Hart Studio Museum (a re-creation of the famous sculptor’s studio) and The Gallery of Iconic Guitars (commonly known as The GIG at Belmont). 

Brown praised both locations, which are housed at the Lila D. Bunch Library. He said The GIG is great for guitar aficionados, who can also check out a collection of mandolins and bass guitars. 

“Hart got a commission to do some of the statuaries on campus at one of the chapels, and some of the Belmont University doners fell in love with his artwork,” said Brown. “His studio was basically moved from its original location and re-created on campus.” 

The 2026 ICC Annual Conference and Expo kicks off on Oct. 18 and runs through Oct. 21. Learn more by heading over to our conference page and don’t forget to check out all of the exciting building tours scheduled for the event!