trolley barn

Burned-out trolley barn. Nashville, TN. November 16, 2007.

One of Nashville’s too-few preservation success stories: the trolley barns downtown. These buildings date back to the WPA, and were used for years as maintenance sheds for trolleys (hence the name), and later maintenance trucks and buses. For a while in 2007, I spent many a night sneaking past security photographing the old general hospital and these buildings, which at the time were suffering from years of neglect — fenced off entirely as if for demolition. The above photo is of one of the worst: it was badly burned and crumbling. Imagine my surprise that not only have they survived, they’ve been rehabbed and are thriving! I’m not sure, but I think this particular building is the new home of Emma.